


Epiphany

by NikkiB1973



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Angst, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 40,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27246346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikkiB1973/pseuds/NikkiB1973
Summary: It only takes one epiphany to change the course of your life...or in Bella's case?!?!Set in Eclipse.
Relationships: Jacob Black & Bella Swan, Jacob Black/Bella Swan
Comments: 215
Kudos: 181





	1. Chapter 1

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-set in Eclipse AU.

** Chapter One-Charlie’s Cunning Plan **

_Bella,_

_I don’t know why you’re making Charlie carry notes to Billy like we’re in second grade-if I wanted to speak to you, I would answer the-_

_Look, you made the choice here, okay? You can’t have it both ways when-_

_What part of ‘mortal enemies’ is too complicated for you to-_

_Look, I know I’m being a jerk, but there’s no way around-_

_We can’t be friends when you’re spending all your time with a bunch of-_

_It just makes it worse when I think about you too much, so don’t write anymore._

_Yeah, I miss you, too. A lot. Doesn’t change anything. Sorry._

_Jacob._

Bella ran her fingers across the page, feeling the dents where he had pressed the pen to the paper so hard that it had nearly broken through. She could picture him writing this-scrawling angry letters in his rough handwriting. It was nothing like Edward’s elegant script, but she much preferred it. Jacob’s thoughts poured onto the page much the same way he spoke. He had slashed through each line when the words came out wrong, he must have broken through several pens, that would explain the multiple ink splatters. It just made it all the more endearing. Bella could imagine the frustration pulling Jacob’s black eyebrows together as he concentrated on getting each word down on the page. If she had been there, she would have teased him, laughing as his face broke out into one of his sunny grins.

Jacob’s smile was one of the things she missed about him the most. He always reserved his most precious smiles for her. Bella pictured it in her mind’s eye, the way his smile was always one of happiness growing when he saw her, much as a spring flower opens. She could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. It was beautiful.

While she was thinking this, she caught the unmistakable scent of a smoking burner rising from the kitchen. In another house, the fact that someone besides herself was cooking might not be a cause for panicking. Bella sighed and shoved the wrinkled piece of paper in the back pocket of her jeans and ran, almost tumbling down the stairs in her haste to stop her father burning the house down.

When she entered the kitchen, she found Charlie jabbing impatiently at the keyboard on the microwave. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Its this stupid machine. Its obviously broken.” He said defensively.

Bella rolled her eyes as she pushed him out of the way and yanked open the microwave door. The jar of spaghetti sauce her father had stuck in there was on its first revolution when she pulled it out. “You’re supposed to take the lid off first, Dad.” She said in exasperation. “Metal’s bad for microwaves.”

“Well how am I supposed to know that. It didn’t say anything about removing the lid on the instructions.” Charlie snatched the jar from her and removed the lid. He was about to put the jar back in the microwave when Bella stopped him. “What am I doing wrong now?”

Bella huffed out an annoyed breath as she poured half the sauce into a bowl and then put the bowl inside the microwave and the jar back in the fridge. She fixed the time on the microwave and pressed start.

“I was about to do that.” Charlie muttered as he turned his attention to the watery noodles simmering on the stove. He seemed perplexed that some of them had stuck to the bottom of the pan. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m heating them just like the instructions said.”

Bella looked at the pan on the stove-the source of the smell that had alerted her. “You’re supposed to stir them.”

“How am I supposed to do that and stop the sauce burning? I’ve only got one pair of hands.” Charlie grouched as he picked up a spoon and poked at the watery noodles in the pan. He began to stir them half-heartedly.

“It called multi-tasking. And you’re not supposed to stand in front of the microwave watching the sauce warm up. That’s what the timer is for.” Bella retorted. “Why are you cooking anyway?”

Charlie poked at the noodles again as he glared out of the kitchen window at the sheeting rain. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m always cooking.”

Bella snorted with laughter at this blatant lie. Charlie folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. Bella quickly recovered her composure and glared right back. She put his surly attitude down to the fact that Edward was due over at any minute. Charlie usually reserved this kind of behaviour for her boyfriend’s benefit, doing his best to illustrate how unwelcome Edward was with every word and dark look he shot him. The day before he had literally wedged himself between them when they were sitting side by side on the sofa watching an old movie. It had been the most uncomfortable experience of her life. It wasn’t even if they were snuggling up together or anything. Edward was all for social distancing.

Charlie poked at the pasta lump in the pan. “There’s no law that says a man can’t cook in his own house.”

“You would know.” Bella answered sarcastically as she eyed the badge pinned to his leather jacket.

“Very funny.” Charlie muttered. “You missed your calling as a comedian.” He poked at the pasta lump again before shrugging off his jacket. He hung it on the peg reserved for his gear. His gun belt was already in place-he hadn’t felt the need to wear it to the station for a few weeks. There had been no more disturbing disappearances to trouble the small town of Forks, Washington, no more sightings of the giant, mysterious wolves in the ever-rainy woods….

Thinking of giant wolves brought Jacob back to the forefront of her mind. His note was burning a hole in the back pocket of her jeans. She was itching to pull it out and re-read it again. She watched as Charlie emptied the water out of the pan and upended the block of noodles onto a plate. He poked at the lump with a fork, puzzled as to why it was all stuck together. “I just don’t get it.” He muttered.

“Let’s order takeout.” Bella suggested. It was obvious the noodles were a lost cause. Even she couldn’t salvage that mess.

“I’m not wasting good food.” Charlie grumbled as he reached for a carving knife and began to separate the sticky morass. “This will do for that boy.”

“What?” Bella exclaimed. He couldn’t seriously be meaning to serve that up to Edward. Charlie knew full well that her boyfriend had a sensitive stomach-an excuse they had come up with to explain why he never ate or drank anything in front of others. “You can’t give that to Edward.”

“Why not?” Charlie demanded. “You’re always telling me I need to be more hospitable.”

Bella glanced up at the clock-checking to see how long she had left to diffuse the situation before Edward descended on them. Less than half an hour to go before he arrived. There was something bigger going on here then Charlie deciding to suddenly be hospitable.

“Dad, what’s going on? Is this about Edward again? We’ve been following all the rules you set.”

Charlie attacked the pasta lump again with the carving knife. “Yes.” He finally admitted. “I do have a reason for doing all this.”

Bella decided it was probably better she was sitting down for this. “Did you think serving up a block of pasta to Edward would break his teeth or something so you wouldn’t have to?” She was only half joking.

“You read my mind.” Charlie clearly wasn’t as the timer pinged on the microwave. He abandoned the pasta lump and opened the microwave to retrieve the sauce. Once that was done, he dumped the gooey sauce on top of the morass of noodles and declared himself satisfied. “I’ll put this in the microwave to keep warm until deadwood turns up.” He muttered under his breath.

Bella knew very well what he had said but decided to be magnanimous and not confront him about it. Charlie eased himself into the chair opposite her and looked at his waiting daughter meaningfully. “I’ll get us takeout.” He said much to her relief. “But before I do that, I wanted to talk to you.”

“About?”

“Jacob.”

Bella tensed. “What about him?” She asked suspiciously.

“Chill, Bells. I know you’re still upset that he told on you, but it was the right thing. He was being responsible.”

Since when did Charlie say words like chill. Her father had clearly been watching too much reality TV.

“Responsible.” Bella repeated scathingly. “Right. So, what about Jacob?”

The careless way she asked made her cringe. What about Jacob? She thought. What was she going to do about him? Her former…no, still her best friend…who now hated her…no, not hated…Jacob would never hate her…he….

“Don’t get mad.” Charlie’s voice cut through her chaotic thoughts.

“Mad? Why would I be mad?”

Charlie’s face was suddenly wary. “I invited him over for dinner.”

“When?” Bella’s eyes narrowed.

“Now.” Charlie revealed.

So that was the real reason he was cooking that pulpy mass. “You invited Jacob over when you knew Edward was coming as well. Are you mad?”

Charlie’s voice got gruffer. “You’re lucky I even let him in the house!”

“Dad…” Bella protested.

“And its obvious you’ve been pining for Jacob.”

“I have not been pining for Jacob Black!” Bella refuted hotly.

“Then why all the notes? I’m sick of ferrying them back and forth to La Push because you’re too cowardly to face up to your feelings.” Charlie argued. “I’m sure we can all be civilised. Its just dinner.”

“I wouldn’t call what you just cooked dinner!” Bella remarked irritably.

“That’s all for Cullen. You’re always telling me to make more effort. So, I did. The rest of us can have takeout. We wouldn’t want to upset your boyfriend’s sensitive stomach by feeding him junk food, would we?” A big grin took over Charlie’s face as he glanced up at the clock. The thirty minutes were up and Bella was out of time to put a stop to her father’s cunning plan.

Right on cue there was a knock on the front door…

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	2. Awkward

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you all for the lovely reviews. I really appreciate it._ **

** Chapter Two-Awkward **

“That’s most probably Jacob.” Charlie remarked. “Are you going to answer it?”

Bella felt the soft panic overwhelm her at the thought of seeing Jacob again. Charlie had completely blindsided her by inviting her erstwhile best friend over for dinner while things were still so stained between them, but she supposed that was the point. To be honest she was wondering why Jacob had agreed to come, his response to her note had shown that he still needed space, so what had made him change his mind…pressure from their respective fathers seemed like the most obvious answer.

“Bells, the door.” Charlie said impatiently when there was another knock on the front door. He pointed to the phone he had in his hand; he was in the midst of ordering pizza.

Bella ran her fingers through her hair to smooth any stray tangles. Anxiety plagued her as she took slow steps toward the door. She tried to calm her nerves but they continued to grow, her thoughts swirling into a vortex of stupidity. It was Jacob. Her friend. She couldn’t comprehend why she was feeling like this. Maybe it was knowing she was going to have to walk on eggshells the entire time once Edward arrived. Which wouldn’t be long. Her boyfriend was always punctual. As her hand landed on the doorknob, she breathed really slow, letting her worried thoughts leak into the ether so they couldn’t control her.

Bella pulled the door open, prepared to give Jacob a warm greeting but all that came out was a faint. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Jacob immediately put on a fake smile to cover his pain from her, however the pain was unbearable. It hurt to even fake a smile. He kept his gaze focused on Bella’s for as long as possible, determined not to be the one who looked away first. He was certain that she knew he was trying to hide something, but still he was determined to fool her. He contorted his lips into an awkward, toothy smile, his but his cheeks were not so compromising. He could feel their reluctance to be moulded falsely. It eventually died altogether when she was the first to look away.

“Come in.” Bella stepped aside as she invited him in.

“Thanks.” Jacob shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he edged around her carefully in order to make sure they had no skin to skin contact at all. Still, he saw her startle a little when his elbow accidentally brushed against her arm. “Sorry.” He mumbled, not really certain what he was sorry for.

“Its fine.” Bella pushed the front door closed and stood awkwardly next to him. She was doing her nervous lip biting thing that was driving him crazy. “You look tired, Jacob. And you’re wearing a shirt.” She was speaking so fast her sentences were running together and she knew she wasn’t making sense.

“I don’t think Charlie would have appreciated it if I turned up half dressed for dinner.” Jacob shrugged his shoulders slightly as he answered her. “And I haven’t been sleeping much. Sam has stepped up the patrols since…” He left the rest unsaid.

“Since the Cullens came back.” Bella finished for him.

“Uh huh.” Jacob’s brows drew together in a frown at the mention of the Cullens.

“Jacob, I’m really sorry about this.” Bella apologised hastily.

“What are you sorry for?”

“This was all Charlie’s idea. I had no idea you were coming to dinner until he dropped the bombshell just a few minutes ago.” Bella was wringing her hands together now as she tried to explain the awkwardness.

“You don’t want me here?” Jacob asked, his frown deepening.

“Don’t wilfully misunderstand me, Jacob. You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I didn’t come here to argue with you, Bella. In fact, I didn’t want to come at all. I’m only here because my dad said it would be rude to refuse Charlie’s invitation. Also, I respect your dad a lot and didn’t want to let him down.” Jacob was as tired as hell, weary with the burden of putting on an act for others benefit; he could have easily pulled off being a walking zombie, dead on the inside but subconsciously awake.

Bella looked up at him, hearing the underlying exhaustion in his tone. He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks, and the body, too. She guessed he must get used to that, the sudden pause in a person's natural expression when they looked his way followed by overcompensating with a nonchalant gaze and a weak smile. He was handsome alright, but inside he was beautiful. And she missed him. She was about to open her mouth to tell him that when there was another knock on the door. By the way Jacob’s body tensed and the sudden mask of indifference covering his face, Bella guessed that Edward had arrived. “Jake…” She began.

“You better answer that. You don’t want to keep your bloodsucker waiting.” Jacob cut her off quickly before she could continue. He strode off toward the kitchen to greet Charlie, leaving her stranded in the hallway, feeling lonely and bereft as she stared after him.

* * *

Bella gave herself a few seconds to recover before she wrenched the front door out of the way to find Edward standing on the other side. As always, she was overwhelmed by the perfection of his face. Her eyes traced over his pale white features: the hard square of his jaw, the softer curve of his full lips, and the smooth expanse of his forehead-partially obscured by a tangle of rain-darkened bronze hair. He was classically handsome, she decided, but he lacked the human warmth that Jacob evoked inside in a person. He didn’t seem real-more like a statue of Adonis that a person could admire but not touch.

Feeling a twinge of guilt at the mental comparison she had just made, Bella reached for his hand, grateful once again that he wasn’t privy to the thoughts going around inside her head. “Hey.” She smiled a little at her anti-climactic greeting.

Edward raised his hand to brush his fingers across her cheek. His mouth was turned down at the corners as he regarded her with a stern expression. “Jacob Black is here.” He said, stating the obvious.

“Yes.” Bella replied nervously.

“I assumed as much when Alice called me on my way over here to tell me she couldn’t see you anymore.” Edward pulled her wrist up to his face as he spoke. He closed his eyes as his nose skimmed along the sensitive skin there, and he smiled gently without opening them. Enjoying the bouquet while resisting the wine, he’d once put it. “At least he hasn’t defiled your intoxicating scent with his.”

What he said sounded very much like an insult to Bella. Her eyes tightened as she slipped her hand out of his, this one small gesture showing her displeasure.

Edward slowly opened his eyes and pursed his lips. “I am not angry with you, my love. I can hear the thoughts going around in your father’s head. He’s practically shouting. I know he invited Jacob Black over here to purposely drive a wedge between us. Don’t worry, I can handle myself.”

Bella heard Charlie approaching then, stamping his feet on the way to express his customary displeasure at Edward’s arrival. Jacob had remained in the kitchen, thinking it wise to let Charlie handle this part himself. Edward’s eyes immediately snapped to the glowering police chief and a bland smile took over his face. “Good evening, Charlie.” He said, flawlessly polite as always.

“Its Chief Swan to you.” Charlie said rudely.

“Dad!” Bella felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment.

Charlie just grunted, and then stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’ve ordered pizza. It’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“None for me, thank you, Chief Swan.” Edward said hastily. “I already ate before I came over.”

“I never said the pizza was for you.” Charlie continued ungraciously. “We all know about your sensitive stomach.” He added sarcastically. “I cooked something special. Just for you.”

It wasn’t possible for Edward’s complexion to whiten anymore, but Bella fancied it turned slightly grey at the prospect of whatever roughage the police chief had rustled up. His eyes were slightly rounder than normal, his intense gaze fixed on the older man’s face as he read his mind. “I’m afraid I must decline, Chief Swan.” He looked toward Bella for help but for some reason she remained mute. He had no idea she was still upset with him regarding the veiled insult toward Jacob. He would get no help from her. “Like I said, I’ve already eaten. I have to be careful because of my allergies. I really came over to bring Bella over another set of college applications.”

“What college applications?” Charlie demanded.

Bella groaned. How were there any colleges left that he hadn’t forced her to apply to already? And how did he keep finding those loophole openings? It was so late in the year. She felt her irritation toward him increasing.

Edward put on another polite smile. “There are still a few open deadlines. I’ve got it all in hand, Chief Swan.”

“You sound like a politician the way you’re avoiding the question. What college applications?” Charlie said challengingly.

“Syracuse…Harvard…Dartmouth…and I just got accepted to the University of Alaska.” Edward reeled off.

“Alaska sounds perfect to me. When do you leave?” Charlie inquired brusquely.

Thankfully they were interrupted by the pizza delivery guy before things could escalate further. Bella hastened to answer the door while Charlie stalked back to the kitchen to join Jacob, muttering under his breath the whole way.

* * *

During the mini-confrontation in the hallway, Jacob had taken the opportunity to set the table. It proved a good distraction as he did his best to ignore what was happening on the other side of the wall. He knew his way around the kitchen and had the dishes and silverware out in record time. He was just filling the empty glasses with juice when Charlie stormed into the kitchen, followed a minute later by Bella. He expected Edward to be hot on her heels and was surprised when she came in alone carrying two pizza boxes.

“Where’s the blo…” He paused, noting the glimmer of tears in Bella’s eyes.

“Edward had to go.” Bella mumbled. “A family emergency. He said he’ll come by later and is sorry to miss dinner.”

“His weak guts giving him trouble more like.” Charlie huffed. “He won’t be missed.”

“Charlie.” Jacob chided the older man as he looked meaningfully in Bella’s direction. He hated the bloodsucker and was glad Cullen was gone but he hated seeing Bella upset even more.

Charlie took his point and said no more. He pulled up a chair and began to dish out the pizza slices. Out of habit he gave Jacob triple the portions that he and Bella had. He was familiar with the boy’s gargantuan appetite. It was the reason he had ordered two large pizzas. Charlie grinned broadly as he looked at Jacob and Bella sitting opposite each other, they might still be acting awkward around each other, but at least it was in the same room. Happy that everything was going according to plan, he relaxed and tucked into his dinner, feeling very pleased with himself.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	3. Uneasy

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Three-Uneasy **

It was strange, even at the table it felt like some tenuous string connected her to Jacob, Bella thought to herself. She noticed that her father kept watching them in a way that made her feel awkward. She caught him smiling when they raised their glasses simultaneously to drink, or dipped the pizza crust into the marinara sauce at the same time, even when they reached for the same slice of pizza, their fingers brushing before jerking apart. It was clear that Charlie was feeling very pleased with himself for engineering this reunion between them.

Jacob ate rapidly, stuffing his mouth too full. Charlie made his usual jokes about if he ate any quicker, he would choke on his food. Jacob laughed, but Bella could tell there was no joy behind it, though it was good enough to fool Charlie. When her father concentrated on his food again, Bella saw Jacob’s gravity drawn shoulders slump lower in defeat, painting a picture of his heart, as if neither it nor his soul would welcome a beat. She could see in his dark eyes that his brain had built some new walls between them, with him so lonely on the other side. She had done this to him. Just her.

When all the food was gone Charlie offered to wash up. He was making it so obvious that he was trying to push them together so they would have no choice but to talk. He urged them to go into the living room and relax. “Put a movie on or something.”

For a tense minute it seemed like Jacob was going to refuse. He opened his mouth as if to make his excuses to leave, but something in the way Charlie looked at him changed his mind. “Just for a while.” He conceded.

As they left Charlie to his chores and ventured into the sitting room, Bella took the chance to examine Jacob’s face. He looked different, maybe even sick. His eyelids drooped and his shaggy hair stuck out in random directions. He brushed his fingers through it tiredly when he caught her observing him. “I’m growing it out.” He muttered by way of an explanation.

“Won’t that be uncomfortable for you…when you know…you’re phased?” Bella glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice to make certain Charlie couldn’t overhear.

Jacob just shrugged as if he didn’t care. This worried Bella even more. She was the first to sit down on the sofa and expected Jacob to sit beside her, instead he flopped down on the floor and leaned back against it in order to maintain his distance from her. Bella couldn’t explain why this small action saddened her so much. It was like a rejection. It was a ridiculous notion but she couldn’t stop the glassy layer of tears filling her eyes. Jacob didn’t seem to notice. He had the remote in his hand and was idly switching through the multiple channels to find something to watch.

“Are you alright, Jake?” Bella finally asked to fill the empty silence.

“Just tired.” He managed to say before he was overcome with a massive yawn. “Sorry.” He mumbled.

“Don’t apologise.”

“Okay.” Jacob shrugged again and returned his attention to the TV.

Bella wondered when their conversations had become so awkward. Spending time together used to be as easy as breathing. Now there was an underlying tension, but when she looked at the back of Jacob’s head, she wondered if she was the only one feeling it. He had found the sports channel and was watching a replay of an old mariner’s game. She continued to observe him in silence until he let out another wide yawn.

“What’s with you, Jake? You’re like a zombie.”

“I only got about two hours sleep last night, and four the night before.” He explained. He stretched his long arms slowly, and she could hear the joints crack as he flexed. “I’m exhausted.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Bella asked.

An air of indifference took over Jacob’s face. Bella knew he was doing it deliberately in order to protect himself against her gentle probing. He looked so much like Sam in that moment that the comparison broke her heart. More tears filled her eyes and she did her best to contain them. Dabbing at the corners of her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, she tried to reach him again. “You need to sleep, Jake. Its important.”

Jacob turned his head slightly in order to look up at her. “Sam’s being difficult.” He admitted. “He doesn’t trust your bloodsuckers.”

“Why? The Cullens would never- “

“I’m not arguing with you, Bella.” Jacob cut her off before she could start to defend them. “I happen to be in agreement with him. I’ve been running double patrol shifts for two weeks, that’s why I’m so exhausted.”

“Double shifts!” Bella exclaimed in alarm. It took her longer than it should have for her to work out why. When it sank in why he would do that off his own back, it left her feeling sadder and guiltier than ever. Her lower lip quivered as words slowly made their way out of her mouth. “Is this because you’re trying to watch out for me?”

Jacob just shrugged again and returned his attention back to the TV. “It’s no big deal.”

“It is a big deal.” Bella tried to claim his attention but he refused to turn around to meet her angry gaze. “Jake, it’s wrong! You don’t need to look out for me. I’m fine. Edward is- “

“What do you want from me, Bella?” Jacob’s voice was tight with strain as he cut her off again.

“I want my friend Jacob-and I don’t want him half dead, hurting himself in some misguided attempt to protect me from something I don’t need protection from.”

Bella didn’t realise how loud she had spoken until Charlie poked his head in, alerted by the sound of raised voices. “You kids alright in here?” He checked.

“We’re all good, Charlie.” Jacob reeled off automatically.

“Good.” Charlie was reassured by the neutral tone of Jacob’s voice and retreated back to the kitchen.

When he was gone, Jacob used the remote to switch off the TV and made to rise. “I should go.” His tone was flat, and his face, already drawn, looked downright haggard as he looked down at Bella from his great height. “Thanks for the pizza.”

The sadness sat inside Bella like the germ seed of depression, just waiting for the right conditions to grow, to send out roots to choke the hope out of her heart completely that they would ever be able to regain their easy friendship. “Don’t go yet.” She said sadly. She tried to reach for his hand but he kept his out of reach.

“Your bloodsucker’s back, Bella.” Jacob said in the same flat tone, revealing the real reason why he was so keen to leave. As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a light tap on the front door.

Bella hadn’t been expecting Edward back so soon. It had been barely an hour since he’d left. She heard her father’s heavy tread on the wooden flooring as he went to answer the door, but before he had a chance to reach it, Jacob had intercepted him and was saying his goodbyes.

“Already?” Charlie said in surprise. “You can’t go yet, Jake.”

“I have to, Charlie. I have places to be. Thanks for dinner.” Jacob wrenched the door open, revealing Edward on the other side. Both their eyes met in a hostile glare for a minute, Jacob was the first to break it as he stepped outside into the fresh air in order to get away from Edward’s cloyingly sweet stench.

“What are you doing back here already?” Charlie looked only at Edward as he spoke. “What happened to the family emergency?”

“Dad.” Bella quickly intervened. “Give us a minute.” She stepped past him and closed the door in Charlie’s surprised and uneasy face.

Edward immediately took her hand, ignoring Jacob and leading Bella to his car which was parked behind the cruiser on the driveway. He opened the door to help Bella inside, but she resisted him, quickly shutting it again. Edward seemed surprised but didn’t voice his concern as his gaze flicked to Jacob who was standing a few feet away, silently watching their interactions. Bella noticed Edward’s eyes tighten slightly, a sure sign he was reading Jacob’s mind.

Edward then spoke in a voice so peaceful and gentle that a causal observer would assume he was indulging in a polite conversation with a friend. “Its time for you to leave. I think you’ve outstayed your welcome.”

Jacob’s stance remained casual, his arms folded across his impressive chest, the only sign of his anger was a slight tightening of the muscles in his jaw. “I think you have that the wrong way around.” He countered.

“You’re upsetting, Bella.” Edward turned to her, throwing her a quick smile of understanding. He brushed his fingers across her cheek before focusing his gaze back on Jacob. “For her sake I am not going to cause a scene. I know deep down you don’t want that, either.”

Jacob looked back at Edward contemptuously before composing his face into an indifferent mask. “I’ll go when Bella tells me to go. And only then.” He challenged, looking directly at her.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	4. The Choices We Make

** Epiphany  **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very for the kind reviews on the last chapter. I know this site has been glitching. I don’t know how many readers managed to read the last chapter as it wasn’t showing up for days. It is now, so you might want to catch up with that one first before reading this one._ ** **_😊_ **

** Chapter Four-The Choices We Make **

Jacob was forcing her to make a choice. Again. More publicly this time. Bella cast her mind back to when she was under house arrest and all the frantic phone calls she had made to Jacob, trying to get him to speak to her again when she had first come back from Italy. She had made them mostly at night, after Edward had been kicked out-promptly at nine each night by a grimly gleeful Charlie-and before Edward snuck back through her window when Charlie was asleep. She had chosen that time to make the fruitless calls because she had noticed that Edward made a certain face every time she mentioned Jacob’s name-which had been practically every five minutes at first. He would look sort of disapproving and wary…maybe even angry. It was the same face he was wearing now. She guessed that he had some reciprocal prejudice against the werewolves, though he had never said it outright in order not to upset her.

So, she had given up on mentioning Jacob much, but it didn’t stop her missing her best friend, who she knew was deeply unhappy right now, due to her. Now she had Edward back in her life, the fairy tale was supposed to be back on. The prince had returned, the spell of her misery broken by true love’s kiss. Except it wasn’t. She was still miserable, still feeling guilty. And the source of that misery was standing in her driveway demanding she make a choice-announce that she did indeed want him to stay and risk upsetting Edward, or send him away and risk losing his friendship forever. It was Hobson’s choice and it just left her feeling angry and frustrated.

As the song says, it's not what you do, it's the way that you do it - that your intentions and thoughts are infused with love and the determination to get things right -Bella knew she was getting everything wrong. Whatever she decided she was going to hurt one of them. So, the only course of action open to her was to hurt both of them. “You should both leave.” She muttered, bowing her head so her hair fell forward, shielding her face from both of them. She ran up the porch steps and back into the house without looking back.

* * *

Bella pressed her hands over ears to drown out the sound of Charlie’s voice on the other side of her bedroom door. She knew she was being childish but she couldn’t help but feel resentful toward him. She had hurt both Edward and Jacob because of his meddling. “Go away!”

“Very mature, kid.” Charlie answered testily. “Open the door.”

“No.”

“Fine. Sulk all you want. You can’t hide in your room forever.” Charlie replied stubbornly. “When you come out, I’ll be waiting.”

Bella heard the sound of his heavy tread heading down the stairs as he decided to wait out her tantrum. Bella threw her pillow at the door in a fit of pique and rolled onto the side of her bed facing the window. It wouldn’t be long before Edward showed up and she was dreading having to face his reaction. He was going to be upset and she didn’t feel in the mood to stroke his fragile ego. She was still too mad-at him, at Jacob, at Charlie, at the whole freaking world.

Thanks to all of them she was wound up and anxious. Her homework was done and she didn’t feel relaxed enough for reading or just listening to music. She considered calling her mother as a way to distract herself until she realised it was three hours later in Florida, and Renee would be asleep. She thought about calling Angela instead, but guessed that her friend was probably in the midst of locking lips with her boyfriend, and wouldn’t welcome the interruption. Oh, how Bella envied Angela her uncomplicated love life!

Bella flopped onto her back, knowing full well that it wasn’t Angela or her mother she really wanted to talk to. That she needed to talk to. She got up from her bed and wandered over to the window, biting her lip. She stood there for a long time, staring blankly into space as she weighed the pros and cons-doing the right thing by Jacob, by going over to La Push to explain, versus making Edward more furious then he already was with her. In the end she decided that the pros were more valid then the cons. She had managed to convince herself that Edward was only concerned about her safety, and she knew there was no problem on that count.

In a sudden burst of activity, she unlocked her bedroom door and thundered down the stairs. She tripped on the third step from the bottom and ended up skating the rest of the way on her ass, but she didn’t let that stop her. As she bypassed the phone in the hall, she was tempted for a second to call first, but soon dismissed it as a waste of time. Bella was sure that Jacob would just ignore her phone calls like he had before. Besides she wanted to see him-to see him smiling the way he used to. She needed to replace the last awful memory she had of him looking so tired and sad.

Bella had hoped to grab her jacket and sneak past Charlie before he noticed she was gone, but falling down the stairs hadn’t helped her on that score. As she expected her father came sauntering out of the living room, looking very pleased with himself.

“Going somewhere?” He smirked. “To La Push maybe?”

“Stop looking so smug.” Bella grouched as she grabbed the keys to her truck from the hall table. “I’ll be no more than an hour.”

“There’s no rush.” Charlie shrugged.

Bella resisted poking her tongue out at him as she crept out of the house like a fugitive. She couldn’t help looking over her shoulder a few times while she jogged to her truck. It was so dark outside she had to feel her way along the side of the old Chevy to find the handle. As she swung the heavy iron door open, she silently congratulated herself on making her escape without incident. It was only when she climbed inside that she realised that the congratulations were premature.

Edward was sitting in the passenger seat.

* * *

Bella stared at Edward’s motionless figure. He was like a bright spot in the darkness, only his hands were moving as he turned a mysterious black object around and around. He stared at the object. “Alice called.” He revealed.

“You’ve got Alice watching me?” Bella exclaimed in disbelief.

“What did you expect me to do when you behave like this?” Edward countered, there was a biting edge to his voice as he spoke. “She got rather nervous when your future rather abruptly disappeared a few minutes ago.”

Bella’s fingers curled around the Chevy’s large steering wheel in frustration. She had forgotten that Alice couldn’t see past the wolves.

“When you decide to mingle your fate with the wolves, you disappear, too. You couldn’t know that part, I realise that. But you can understand why that might make me a little…anxious? Alice saw you disappear, and she couldn’t even tell if you’d come home or not. Your future got lost, just like theirs.”

Bella listened to him talk in stony silence. She was trying to come up with an alternative plan of her own.

“I’ll put your car back together in time for school, in case you’d like to drive yourself.” Edward assured her carefully. Bella remained rigid beside him in the driver’s seat, her lips smashed together. Edward looked at her and sighed sadly. “I don’t need to read your mind to know you are angry with me, Bella. Shut your window if you want me to stay away tonight. I’ll understand.” He hung his head a little when he said this as he waited out her reaction.

“Right now, all I want is for you to get out of my truck.” Bella said tonelessly. She refused to look his way as he climbed gracefully out of the truck. The last thing she heard was his sad sigh and the creak of the passenger door as he closed it gently after him and disappeared back into the night.

* * *

When Bella was sure he was far enough away she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled home. It took Charlie a while to pick up. “What’s wrong?” He asked in surprise when he realised it was her. “You can’t be in La Push already.”

“I haven’t left.” Bella growled. “The truck won’t start.”

“Want me to look at it?” Charlie offered.

“No, I want you to drive me.”

“In the cruiser?” Charlie questioned drolly. “You always get so embarrassed riding in my car.”

“Will you drive me or not?” Bella demanded irritably. “If not then- “

“Sheesh, no need to burst my eardrums, kiddo. I’m coming.” Charlie grumbled just before he put the phone down.

As Bella slipped her cell phone back into her pocket, she noticed Edward’s white face re-emerge from the darkness. He looked angry. He knew perfectly well what she had done. Bella stared back at him, a sliver of guilt already eating away at her. She watched as Edward melted into the shadows as Charlie came out of the house, locking the door behind him. With tears brimming in her eyes, Bella climbed out of the truck and went to stand by the cruiser while she waited for her father to join her.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	5. Difficult Reunion

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you very much to the kind reviews on the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Five-Difficult Reunion **

Bella felt a lump lodge in her throat when the cruiser came to a stop in front of the Black’s familiar faded red house. She stared at the little place that had once been her refuge from her broken heart. It had been so long since she had been there. Before Charlie had even switched off the engine, Jacob was standing in the doorway, his face blank with shock.

“Well are you gonna get out of the car and go and speak to the poor boy or sit there gawping at him?” Charlie said impatiently when Bella remained frozen in her seat.

Bella glared at her father in annoyance as she tore her gaze away from Jacob and tried to unbuckle her seatbelt. Unfortunately, her shaking hands didn’t want to co-operate and she struggled to unclip it, instead becoming more entangled as she wrestled with the belt. Charlie rolled his eyes and leaned across to help her. As soon as she was free, she bolted out of the car and headed in Jacob’s direction.

_“Thanks for all your help Dad._ ” Charlie huffed under his breath sarcastically as he followed after his daughter at a slower pace. “ _You’re welcome, kiddo_.” He watched his daughter slip and slide in the mud in her effort to get to Jacob quickly. To no-one’s surprise she landed firmly on her butt before she had even reached him. Jacob, being the chivalrous boy he was, ran through the slick mud to help her. He hauled her upright and she landed conveniently on his bare chest as he wrapped her up in a tight bear hug. “Doesn’t that boy wear a shirt anymore?” Charlie grouched when he finally reached them. He tapped Jacob soundly on the shoulder with his forefinger, indicating it was time to let his precious daughter go now.

“Hey, Charlie, long time no see.” Jacob said distractedly as he reluctantly placed Bella back on the ground.

“You saw me less than half an hour ago.” Charlie reminded him pointedly. What was up with these silly teens? “Where’s your old man?”

“Parked in front of the TV.” Jacob motioned toward the house with one hand as his gaze remained focused on Bella’s face.

“And don’t you think you should put a shirt on? There is a lady present.” Charlie suggested sternly.

“There is? Where?” Jacob finally looked properly in Charlie’s direction, his face registering his confusion.

“I’m talking about my daughter, boy.” Charlie thundered, making both Jacob and Bella jump. “Did you ditch the shirt as soon as you got home or something? Go and put it back on while I go and catch up with your old man.”

“Yeah.” Jacob felt completely out of it as he led the way inside the house. Bella followed timidly after him until Charlie stopped her, warning her to wait in the hall until Jacob had made himself decent. He then left her alone to stew in her own juice as he went into the living room to greet Billy.

* * *

When Jacob returned, he was wearing the same shirt he had worn to dinner. He had buttoned it up only halfway, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows. “We’re going for a walk.” He yelled to the two men sitting fixated in front of the TV screen. Charlie and Billy gave twin grunts of acknowledgement, they were completely focused on the game playing out in front of them.

“Typical.” Jacob mumbled as he made a grab for Bella’s hand and pulled her outside the house with him.

As they stepped on the wraparound porch, the smile that Bella had been waiting for stretched across Jacob’s face like the sun breaking free of the clouds. His teeth gleamed bright against his tan skin. “I can’t believe you blew off the bloodsucker to come here.”

“Jake, I- “Bella was about to tell him what really happened when her air was choked off-Jacob grabbed her in another bear hug too tight to breathe and swung her around in a circle.

“Wow, its good to see you here!”

“Can’t…breathe.” Bella gasped.

Jacob laughed and put her down. “Welcome back, Bells.” He said, grinning.

Bella felt her throat tighten again; the way he said the words made it sound like welcome home.

* * *

They started walking, too keyed up to stay near the house. Jacob was practically bouncing as he moved, his happiness that she had chosen to come and spend time with him over Edward chasing away his exhaustion. He believed this was the beginning of a breakthrough with Bella. His hope was returning and it made him hyper.

As they walked, Bella felt herself settling into another version of herself, the self she had been with Jacob. She felt younger, a little less responsible, more confident, freer. Their exuberance at being together lasted through the first topics of conversation but soon died when they reached the thorny subject of Edward and the reasons behind their long separation. Bella felt like crying as she watched Jacob’s face harden into the bitter mask that was already too familiar. The happy light in his eyes began to dim and by the time they ambled past the back of the Ateara’s store and shoved through the thick scrub leading to First Beach, Jacob looked totally exhausted and detached again.

“This is just a short reprieve, isn’t it?” Jacob asked dully. He kicked a piece of driftwood out of his way with such force that it sailed over the sand and clattered against the rocks. “I mean since the last time we…well, before, you know….” He took a deep breath to calm himself down before turning to face her. “You were going to let me kiss you, Bella. And now everything is just back to the way it was before the leech left? You forgave him for all that?”

Bella’s lower lip quivered as she reached for his hand, but Jacob pulled his away before she had a chance to take it. Pain flashed in her eyes at his rejection. “Its not as simple as that.” She pleaded forlornly.

“Then explain it to me, because to me it makes no fucking sense whatsoever.” Jacob challenged acidly.

The whiplash of his anger made Bella flinch. She couldn’t blame him; she deserved his hostility. He must feel like she was constantly toying with his emotions-giving him hope one minute and dashing it the next. “Edward left me last fall because he didn’t think I should be hanging out with vampires. He thought it would be healthier if he left.”

Jacob looked at her as if she was stark raving mad. He was beginning to think she had lost the ability to think for herself under the vampire’s influence. He couldn’t fathom how she could say those words aloud and not realise the excuse Cullen had fed her was total bullshit. He knew calling her out on it would do him no favours, she would get all defensive and it would descend into another petty argument. He didn’t have the energy to engage in one of those.

“If he thought that, then why did he come back?” He asked suspiciously. “And you know what I find so odd? What was the catalyst that made him leave in the first place, huh? If you not almost getting killed by the red head’s mate wasn’t enough to make him leave, what was it that finally pushed him over the edge?”

Bella hesitated, biting her lip. How was she supposed to tell him that it was Jasper trying to kill her during the cursed birthday party Edward had insisted on throwing for her that had pushed him past endurance. She noticed Jacob watching her every reaction closely and she turned her head to one side so he couldn’t see her face.

“Bella, what are you not telling me?” Jacob gave in and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward a huge, familiar piece of driftwood-an entire tree, roots and all, bleached white and beached deep in the sand- it was their tree, in a way.

“You’ll get mad.” Bella said nervously. “And you have to understand it wasn’t Edward’s fault. Or Jasper’s, either. It was my bad luck again.”

Jacob sat down on the natural bench and tugged her down beside him. He kept his face perfectly smooth when he answered. “Just tell me, Bells. I’m interested.”

“You won’t get mad?” Bella checked again.

Jacob wasn’t even going to bother promising that. Just the fact that she was asking meant whatever she was about to tell him was going to upset him. Still, he kept his expression bland, shrugging his shoulders as he invited her to confide in him again. “Tell me.” He encouraged her. “Maybe it will help me to understand better if I know the full story.”

It didn’t.

* * *

Bella’s sorry tale of how Jasper had lost control of himself and attacked her over a simple papercut infuriated Jacob. It infuriated him even more that she was blaming herself for accidentally cutting herself in the first place. If this Jasper dude lost it so easily over a small droplet of human blood, what the hell had he been attending Forks high where he was surrounded by humans on a daily basis. Any one of those clueless teenagers could have had a similar accident to Bella and they would have been toast. Jacob remained silently seething as he listened to her defend the family over and over again. He wished he could record her voice and play everything back to her just to show her what she sounded like. This was worse than he could possibly imagine and he knew that Sam and the pack needed to be informed right away. This changed things considerably. It showed that the coven leader, Carlisle Cullen, couldn’t be trusted to handle his so-called family. No sensible leader would ever have risked sending an unstable member of their coven to a fricking high-school where temptation lurked around every corner.

Jacob’s fingers dug into the soft driftwood as he tried to keep a semblance of calm. He didn’t want to explode in front of Bella. She was opening up to him, she was trusting him. He hated that he was going to have to break that trust when he told Sam, but he was given no choice. “So, fill me in on what happened in Italy?” He asked when she stopped talking.

Bella hesitated, biting her lip anxiously. “You’re angry with me.”

“I’m not angry.” Jacob denied.

“You’re clenching your teeth.” Bella pointed out anxiously. “You can’t blame Jasper, Jake. It wasn’t his fault and he was so sorry afterwards.”

“I’m sure he was.” Jacob spat sarcastically.

“I think I should go home. This was a mistake. I’m sorry, Jake. I shouldn’t have unloaded all this on you. It wasn’t fair.” Bella rose shakily to her feet.

Jacob looked up at her, his dark eyes filled with sadness and remorse. “I’m sorry, Bella. You can’t.”

“Can’t what?” Bella’s bewilderment was clear. Why was Jacob looking so guilty? “What’s going on?”

“You can’t go home yet, Bella.” Jacob said tonelessly as stood, towering over her. “I’m taking you to see Sam and you are going to tell him everything you told me, including what went down in Italy.”

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	6. Sam and Emily

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Six-Sam and Emily **

It had been a while since she had been to Sam and Emily’s tiny house. Bella felt a lump lodge in her throat as she reluctantly followed Jacob down the long lane leading to the house. It looked the same apart from the faded blue door. Someone had given it a new coat of paint, so it shone brightly in the half-dark. The one narrow window still had the same window box underneath it filled with bright orange and yellow marigolds. The flowers gave the whole place a more cheerful look, a testament to Emily’s hard work.

Jacob didn’t look at her as he climbed up the one step, ready to enter the house without knocking like he always did. He turned his head to make sure that Bella was following and frowned when he realised, she was hanging back. “You’ll only make it harder by trying to put it off.”

“You shouldn’t have made me come here.” Bella paled when she noticed movement behind the curtain covering the window.

“I didn’t make you come.” Jacob argued. “If you didn’t think this was the right thing to do, you would have resisted and insisted on staying behind. But instead you followed me willingly. I didn’t drag you here kicking and screaming, did I?”

“I would have liked to see you try.” Bella mumbled.

Jacob flashed her an impatient look as he motioned for her to come inside. She hesitated for the space of a heartbeat before following timidly in his wake. The front room, like Billy’s house, was mostly kitchen. This room was Emily’s domain. As soon as Bella stepped into the room, she spotted Emily standing at the counter by the sink, popping big muffins out of a tin and placing them on a paper plate.

“I thought I heard you guys outside.” She said before turning around to face them. She regarded Bella coolly, almost as if they were strangers. “Hi, Bella.”

“Hi, Emily.” Bella mumbled in response as she looked back at Sam’s imprint. Emily’s long crow-black hair framed her heart-shaped face, concealing part of the thick red scars that ran from her hairline to her chin. One line pulled down the corner of her dark, almond shaped right eye, while another twisted the right side of her mouth into a permanent grimace. Bella felt she was being scrutinised and found wanting. She averted her gaze and concentrated on the floor in front of her.

“Where’s Sam?” Jacob asked, finally breaking the tense silence.

“Out the back trying to fix the truck.” Emily revealed, her voice and expression softening as she answered him. She passed him the paper plate filled with muffins. “If you’re going out there can you take these to him. I’ve added extra for you, if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, Emily.” Jacob took the plate from her and stuffed one of the tantalising blueberry muffins in his mouth as he left Bella alone in the kitchen with Emily to go and see Sam.

Once they were alone, Emily motioned for Bella to take a seat at the big kitchen table. She sat down herself first, still staring at Bella, neither half of her once-beautiful face was friendly. “I didn’t expect to see you around here again, if I’m being honest.” She admitted.

Bella stiffened. “I wasn’t planning on it. Jacob insisted I come.”

“Why?” Emily asked curiously. “I thought you wanted nothing more to do with any of us now that your vampire was back in town.”

Bella stared back at Emily guiltily. Is that what they all thought? That she wanted nothing to do with any of them now the Cullens had come back. The guilt sat not on her chest but inside her brain. What she had done she could not un-do. “That’s not true, Emily. I’ve really missed you guys.”

“You have?” Emily was genuinely surprised. The left half of her face warmed. “I apologise, I just assumed…”

“No. I should be the one who’s sorry.” Bella cut in hastily. “I can only imagine what it must have seemed like to all of you. You all put your lives on the line for me and I must have looked so ungrateful running straight back to the Cullens and ignoring all of you. The truth is I wanted to come and see all of you, to try and explain…but Jake needed his space. I thought… I thought I might not be welcome. I…”

Bella’s explanation was cut short when Jacob and Sam came back into kitchen. Like he always did, Sam went straight to Emily, whispering her name. His voice was filled with so much love that Bella felt embarrassed, intrusive, as she watched him cross the room in one stride and take her face in his wide hands. He leaned down to kiss the dark scars on her right cheek before he kissed her on the mouth.

Bella turned away from them only to find Jacob watching her. As she made eye-contact with him, it was like the strength of his gaze was pulling her toward him, the emotions in his eyes telling her he needed more of a connection, or that she did, though she guessed in reality it was both of them. His eyes were so different in moments like these, softer than Bella knew eyes could be.

“Hello, Bella.” Sam’s gruff greeting broke the through the spell Bella was under and she blinked as she tried to focus her attention on him. “It’s been a while.” He continued, taking the seat next to Emily.

“Yes.” Bella agreed faintly. Like always, she found Sam quite intimidating. It wasn’t that he was being rude or anything. In fact, he was being extraordinarily polite considering the circumstances. She folded her arms across her chest as if to shield herself against the interrogation she knew was coming her way. “Did Jake tell you?”

“He showed me.” Sam corrected her, a reminder to Bella that nothing could be kept secret when they guys were in their wolf form. They must have taken a short run. Bella was beginning to understand now why Jacob had insisted she come with him and tell Sam herself what she had revealed to him about Jasper. He was giving her a chance to tell her side of the story without his added prejudice involved. It would have all coming spilling out to Sam and the others when he was running with the pack anyway.

Sam placed his hand over Emily’s and gave her a tender smile. “Why don’t you take Jake outside and get him to help you tend the garden.” He suggested gently, leaning in to kiss her on the lips again.

Emily wasn’t fooled for a minute. She knew very well that Sam needed her to distract Jacob for a while to give him a chance to have a proper conversation with Bella alone. She squeezed his fingers and stood up. She pointed to the tin of muffins. “Come on, Jake. I could really use the help. Bring the tin with you. We can snack while we work.”

“I don’t think- “Jacob began cautiously as he looked in Bella’s direction.

“You should go.” Bella found herself saying, much to her surprise.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Jacob was still reluctant. Bella assured him she was. Still looking worried he grabbed the muffin tin and followed Emily out of the house with many a backward glance in Bella’s direction.

* * *

Sam caught Bella’s eye as soon as Jacob and Emily were out of earshot. “Can I get you a drink or something, Bella?” He asked, catching her off guard. “I think Emily still has some of that decaffeinated cra…coffee that you like…. somewhere.” He looked vaguely around the room.

“Um…I’m good thanks.” Bella thought Emily liked decaffeinated coffee just like she did. It seemed they had bought it just for her benefit so she had something to drink while she was hanging out with Jacob and the pack. It was quite touching in a way and did little to assuage her guilt at the way she had treated them since coming back from Italy.

“Okay.” Sam continued, getting straight back to business. “Why don’t you begin by explaining what happened in Italy.”

Bella was surprised at how calm and controlled Sam was being with her. There was no element of blame, no accusation that she had sided with the enemy. He wasn’t interrogating her like she thought he would. He seemed willing to let her tell the story at her own pace. She began to talk haltingly as she explained to Sam how Alice had seen Edward plan to kill himself when he heard through Rosalie that she was supposedly dead. Sam remained deep in thought as she continued to talk, but he didn’t interrupt her. It was only when she reached the part about the Volturi that he really showed some reaction. He frowned and his nostrils flared a little. Bella didn’t go into specifics. She just told him that Edward had talked them out of trouble, without revealing the promise they’d had to make, or the visit the Cullens were anticipating from the Volturi in the distant future.

“Now you know the whole story.” Bella concluded.

“Thank you for trusting me with the truth. I know that can’t have been easy.” Sam replied wearily.

His words only served to make Bella feel guilty about the parts she had deliberately left out. She felt like she had betrayed his trust by leaving out such vital gaps in the story. Her guilt was further compounded when Jacob and Emily came back into the house. Emily was carrying a bunch of flowers, one of which she gave to Jacob to present to Bella. He took it, holding it out to her awkwardly. “For you.”

“Thanks.” Bella mumbled; her cheeks were kissed pink as she took it from him.

“I’ll put these in a vase.” Emily said as she walked toward the kitchen cupboards. Sam got up from the table and went to follow her.

Jacob immediately took Sam’s vacated seat. “We’re okay, you and me. Okay?” He said in a low voice.

Bella just nodded, unable to meet his gaze. She hung her head in shame, knowing she didn’t deserve his loyalty. Jacob didn’t seem to notice her reaction, instead when she dared to glance at his face, he looked thoughtful, his mind far away. “What are you thinking about?” She asked after a long, quiet time had passed.

“I’m thinking about what you told me. About when the fortune teller saw you cliff jumping and thought you’d committed suicide, and how it all got out of control…Do you realise that if you had just waited for me like you were supposed to, then the bl…- Alice wouldn’t have been able to see you jump? Nothing would have changed. We’d probably be in my garage right now, like any other Saturday. There wouldn’t be any vampires in Forks, and you and me…” His voice trailed off as intense exhaustion took over his face.

“Edward would have come back anyway.”

“Are you sure about that, Bella?”

“He told me so.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just another line he was feeding you to make himself look good?” Jacob argued. “I was always here, Bella. I stayed. I never left.”

“You did once.” Bella reminded him.

“That’s not fair. Sam stopped me. And I was always close by. You know that!”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. That was a horrible thing to say.” Bella apologised. Over her shoulder she saw Sam and Emily with their heads together, talking. They must have overheard her fraught exchange with Jacob, even though they had been talking in hushed whispers. She turned back to face Jacob and her heart sank. Jacob was in pain. Right now, it was very clear in his eyes, and she was the root cause of it. His pain was her pain. Jacob had become a part of her, there was no changing that now.

Bella put her arms around Jacob and hugged him in Emily and Sam’s kitchen, not caring that they were watching. When his arms wrapped around her, his embrace was stronger than anything she had ever known. It was as if holding her wasn't quite enough, he had to feel every ounce of her press into every ounce of him. In that moment of feeling Jacob so close she felt more awake somehow, more alive than she have been in so very long. Bella finally began to question why this was. If she was so in love with Edward, why was it when she was with Jacob that she felt like she had come home.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	7. Bid for Freedom

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Seven-Bid for Freedom **

Charlie was in a very good mood on the way home from La Push. He kept smiling and was strangely focused, considering his team had lost. He asked Bella a ton of questions about Jacob, trying to get her to open up a little bit about how she felt about spending time with her best friend again. Bella gave him one-word answers, not deliberately, she was too pent up and anxious about the reception she was going to get from Edward when she finally got back to Forks. She knew he would be waiting for her in her bedroom and she wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation.

Charlie glanced at her often as he drove. “You did have fun with Jacob?” He checked for the umpteenth time.

“Yes.” Bella answered faintly. She was sure she had caught a glimpse of Edward’s silver Volvo in the wing mirror. He was following them home.

“Its good that you’re spending time with other people. You should do it more often.” Charlie continued.

Bella hardly heard him. She had just gotten another glimpse of the Volvo again. Edward was definitely tailing them. She was surprised Charlie hadn’t noticed. Then again, her father was too busy interrogating her to bother looking at who was driving a few car lengths behind them. He did notice that Bella was extra fidgety though.

“Why are you so jumpy?” He asked. “Are you desperate for the bathroom or something?”

“Yes.” Bella wasn’t really listening.

“We’re nearly home now.” Charlie assured her.

“Yes.” Bella said miserably as she slumped in her seat. “We’re nearly home.”

* * *

Charlie fumbled with his keys and seemed to take an age to open the front door. Bella stood close beside him, anxiously scanning the darkness for any hint of the silver Volvo. But the street was empty. Charlie finally managed to open the door and waited for his daughter to go in ahead of him. When she stayed where she was, he barked at her impatiently. “I thought you were desperate to use the bathroom.”

His loud voice made Bella jump and she ran into the house like a startled rabbit. Charlie followed her inside more slowly, shaking his head at the strange way she was acting. He watched as she headed in to the kitchen instead of toward the stairs like he had expected. “Bells?” He prompted her. “I thought you wanted the bathroom.”

Bella’s eyes clouded with confusion as she shook her head. “What gave you that idea?” She asked, mystified.

“Because you said…never mind!” Charlie huffed under his breath as he shrugged off his jacket and turned to hang it on the coatrack in the hallway.

Bella lingered in the kitchen, looking for something to clean to keep her busy and put off the moment she had to go upstairs to her room. Unfortunately, the kitchen was as spick and span as always. In that moment she hated that she was such a neat freak. There were no cups to wash in the sink, no stains on the counters. No, everything was all clean and shiny.

Charlie caught her scowling at the sink as if it had offended her. “I didn’t leave a dirty mug in there, did I?” He joked.

“No.” Bella mumbled.

Charlie frowned as he tried to work out what was wrong with his daughter. She was acting oddly. He worried that things hadn’t gone as well with Jacob as he had hoped. “You can talk to me, Bells.” He said hesitantly. “If you just want me to listen. I can do that. You can trust me.”

Bella’s eyes glimmered with watery tears at Charlie’s offer. He was such a good man. She knew she didn’t appreciate him enough. She wished she could confide the truth to him, it was horrible that he was kept in the dark all the time. She was so tired of keeping so many secrets. “I’m just tired, Dad. That’s all.”

“Okay.” Charlie said slowly, not believing her for a minute. “Maybe a good night’s sleep will make you feel better. And…” He paused for a few seconds and swallowed thickly. “It’s not a one-time offer, kiddo. You can talk to me. Anytime.”

Bella felt the muscles of her chin tremble like a small child and she was forced to look away in case Charlie saw her tears. “Goodnight, Dad.” She choked out as she fled the kitchen quickly before they had a chance to fall.

* * *

Bella counted to ten before opening her bedroom door. Of course, he was there. Edward stood against the wall across from her, in the shadow beside the open window. His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared at her wordlessly. Bella waited near the door, waiting for the torrent of his anger, but it didn’t come. Edward just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak.

“You gave me no choice.” Bella finally said. His face could have been carved from stone. She started to count in her head again. She had reached a hundred and there was still no change in his expression. This was getting ridiculous. A flicker of rebellion sparked within her. “I am not the one in the wrong here. You were the one who sabotaged my truck.”

Edward finally moved. He pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand in a familiar gesture of frustration. “Bella.” His silky voice was tight with strain when he spoke her name. “Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line tonight? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?”

Bella gasped. “Charlie was with me. What kind of danger do you think I was in?”

“I know for a fact that you and Jacob probably went off alone somewhere.” Edward replied coldly. “Please, don’t take me for a fool.”

“So, what if we did?” Bella said defensively. “Jacob isn’t dangerous.”

“Bella.” He rolled his eyes impatiently. “You are not the best judge of what is or isn’t dangerous. If he’d hurt you- “

“I know I don’t have to worry about Jake. And neither do you. And you have no right to lecture me on what is or isn’t dangerous, considering the peril you’ve put me in recently.”

Edward ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up into fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall. It was clear her barb had hit home. Bella took a deep breath as she tried to assuage her guilt for intentionally hurting him. She was determined to stand her ground and establish some boundaries. He had no right to consider Jacob and the wolves dangerous, especially as they were the ones who had been protecting her all those months he was gone.

“I’m sorry if I made you anxious.” Bella said carefully. “But that is all I’m sorry for.”

“Anxious is an understatement.” Edward growled.

Bella studied his face, at his defensive eyes. In the stress of the moment she hadn’t noticed how dark they were. The rings under them were deep purple. She frowned in disapproval. “You need to go hunting.”

“I was intending to, but when Alice saw you disappear…”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Bella cut in irritably. Her nerves had gone and now she was just plain annoyed. “I was just spending time with a friend. You should have known that Jacob would never hurt me in any way.”

“But I didn’t.” Edward remonstrated with her. “And you can’t expect me to let you…”

“Oh, yes, I can.” Bella interrupted scathingly. “That’s exactly what I expect.”

“This won’t happen again.” Edward said flatly. “Werewolves constitute a risk.”

“Less of a risk than you!” The words left Bella’s mouth before she could stop them. She saw Edward’s eyes tighten at the corners and immediately regretted her outburst. But, still, even though she had hurt him, she couldn’t find it within herself to apologise.

Edward’s hands were in fists again. His eyes blazed. “You said you had forgiven me. All I care is that you’re safe.” He turned his head toward the window, murmuring. “I think its best if I don’t stay here tonight.” He waited tensely for her to plead with him to stay and when she didn’t, he glanced over his shoulder at her in surprise.

“We could both use the space.” Bella responded dully.

Edward stared at her silently for a long minute before nodding his head sharply and finally taking his leave.

* * *

Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmet and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem. They had come to no agreement on the werewolf issue and things remained frosty and tense between them. Bella had no guilt calling Jacob-during the brief window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back into her window-to let him know she’d be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn’t sneaking around. Edward knew how she felt now.

So, when Bella got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for her in the Volvo, she was not suspicious at first. It was only when she climbed into the passenger side and asked Alice where her brother was that she realised she had been led into a trap.

“Edward and the others left early.” Alice trilled as she started the car. “And you and I are having a slumber party!”

“You’re kidnapping me, aren’t you?” Bella accused.

Alice didn’t even bother to deny it. She laughed as if it was no big deal. “Until Saturday. Esme is going to clear it with Charlie, you’re staying with me two nights, and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow.”

Bella felt like there was static in her head, the side effect of the constant fear, the constant stress she was living with. Something broke inside her. Bella could hear her own sounds, coming from far away, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. To Alice’s consternation she began to wrestle with the locked door in a vain attempt to escape from the car.

“Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!”

Tension grew in her face and limbs. Bella’s breathing became more rapid, shallower. The thoughts were accelerating inside her head as she descended into a full-blown panic attack. She wanted them to slow so she could breathe but they wouldn’t. Her breaths come in gasps and she felt certain she was going to black out if she didn’t escape the damn car which had suddenly turned into a prison. Her heart was hammering inside her chest like it belonged to a rabbit running for its skin. From far away she heard Alice’s vain attempts to calm her down. Bella continued to fight with the door, getting more and more hysterical. Eventually Alice was forced to give in, she released the locks and the door flew open, causing Bella to fall out of the car and tumble onto the tarmac.

Then to Bella’s blessed relief a loud, growling roar erupted from behind her in the parking lot. She rolled onto to her side as the noisy black motorcycle screeched to a stop right beside her, the engine still snarling. Jacob was sitting astride it. He stretched his hand down toward her. “Come on, Bella.”

Bella was frozen for a second as she tried to understand how Jacob was here. How did he know she needed him? She scrambled onto all fours as she reached for his hand. Still breathing heavily, she let him pull her upright, before she clumsily climbed onto the bike behind Jacob, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. As Jacob revved the bike, she shot Alice one pleading glance.

“Hold on.” Jacob shouted above the noisy engine.

Then they were racing across the blacktop so fast that Bella’s stomach got lost somewhere behind her. She hid her face against his back as they circled around an infuriated Alice once, before speeding off down the highway.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	8. A Quiet Exhalation

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Eight-A Quiet Exhalation **

Bella prayed silently in her head all the way to the Quileute border that Alice wouldn’t follow her, and that Charlie wouldn’t be out on patrol. The last thing she needed was for him to see her sitting astride the back of Jacob’s bike without a helmet. He would ground her for the rest of her adult life and she didn’t like to think what he would do to Jacob-best friend’s son or not…

It was obvious when they reached the safe zone. Jacob slowed the bike down and straightened up. Bella risked opening her eyes and what she saw made her gasp. Moving into the evening light filtering through the thick cloud above them was the wolf pack. Sam was in the lead, his black fur glossy and thick. His paws kissed the earth with a lightness that belied his massive size. Right behind Sam flowed the rest of the wolves. Bella just stared and stared, captivated by their wild beauty. She watched as they took flight into the trees and disappeared. She could only ever dream of being as free, out here with nature, like the pack.

“We made it.” Jacob shouted above the bike’s noisy engine. “Not bad for a prison break, eh?”

“How did you know?” Bella asked breathlessly.

“Since you were last here, the whole pack have kinda been keeping tabs on you from a distance. Just to be sure you were alright.” Jacob admitted.

“Your idea?”

“Yeah, but Sam agreed.” Jacob glanced over his shoulder to gauge her reaction. “I remembered what you said about the psychic leech not being able to predict what I’m going to do, so…” He shrugged and returned his attention to the road.

“Good thinking, Jake.” Bella murmured as she relaxed against him and closed her eyes again. She didn’t open them again until they reached La Push.

* * *

They ended up on the beach again, wandering aimlessly. Jacob walked beside Bella, deep in thought. She glanced at him often, trying to guess what he was thinking.

“Do you think they’ll come looking for you?” Jacob asked eventually.

“No.” Bella shook her head. She was certain about that. “They’re going to be furious with me tonight, though.” The thought of going back home made her heart sink.

Jacob picked up a rock and hurled it into the waves. “Don’t go back then.” He said casually.

“Charlie would love that.” Bella sighed.

“I bet he wouldn’t mind.”

Bella remained silent. She knew that Jacob was probably right. Charlie didn’t hide his blatant preference for her Quileute friends. Not for the first time she wondered what his reaction would be if he ever found out the truth. It wouldn’t be pretty. He would definitely feel betrayed knowing he had been lied to for so long by those he counted as his closest friends. She shook that thought from her head and focused her attention on Jacob.

“So, what’s the latest pack scandal?” Bella joked lamely in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Jacob halted abruptly, and he stared down at her with guarded eyes. “What?” She was confused by his strange reaction. “That was a joke.”

“Oh.” Jacob looked away.

Bella waited for him to start walking again, but he seemed lost in thought again, his face troubled. “Is there a scandal?” She asked anxiously.

Jacob shook his head, still not looking at her directly. “I forget what its like, not having everyone knowing everything all the time. Having a quiet, private place inside my head.”

“Is it really that bad, Jake?” Bella asked sympathetically. She couldn’t imagine what it was like having your every private thought and feeling shared with a bunch of others. The idea was terrifying.

Jacob hesitated for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure how best to answer her. “Its not so bad. You get used to it.” He frowned, and then turned to stare at her again. He gazed deeply into her eyes without speaking, his brows furrowed in concentration.

Bella bit her lip self-consciously, eyes everywhere but on Jacob. He moved closer with those incredible eyes of his. "Hey, it's me." Her breathing became softer, the pensive look melting into a smile as soft as the morning light. Her body squirmed just a little as her muscles relaxed. There was something about that gaze of his that always made her feel safe and protected. “Bells…” He began before hesitating again. A frustrated sigh passed his lips as he broke away and looked toward the ocean.

“Jake, what is it?” Bella asked in concern as she tried to draw his gaze back to her.

“Nothing.” Jacob mumbled. He started walking again. He reached out and took her hand as they paced silently across the rocks.

“You can talk to me, Jake.” Bella persisted. She stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well.

“You’re not ready to hear what I’ve got to say, Bells.” He said in a low voice, his eyes anxious. “Can you just let this go?”

Bella heard the sound of the waves beating against the shore. A light rain began to fall, turning the air hazy. It hurt that he was unwilling to confide in her, but his pensive plea restrained her from pushing him into telling her what was on his mind. “Okay.”

“Thanks.” Jacob’s face broke out into an incredible smile. One that made her heart flutter. She found herself blushing for no discernible reason and became grumpy when Jacob began to tease her about her rosy cheeks.

“Its cold out here. Of course, I’m going to look flushed.” She complained.

“If you say so.” Jacob laughed. “C’mon, Bella. Let’s go back to the house and get our bikes. You’ve got to ride a motorcycle regularly to keep it in tune.”

“I really don’t think I’m allowed.” Bella hesitated as she remembered her promise to Charlie. But then again she had already broken it as soon as she climbed on the back of Jacob’s bike when he brought her here.

“I won’t tell anyone.” Jacob gave her his special smile, the one he reserved solely for her. It made him look young and boyish again, sunny and warm.

Bella couldn’t help but smile back. “Except every one of your friends.”

Jacob laughed. “I promise not to think about it.”

“If I get hurt, it’s because I tripped.” Bella said automatically.

“You won’t get hurt, Bella.” Jacob’s smile faded into a serious expression.

“You can’t know that, its almost a guarantee, Jake.”

“You won’t get hurt because I will always be there to catch you when you fall.” Jacob insisted as he tugged her a little closer so he could stare into her eyes again. Bella stared back at him, already knowing he meant every word. That's all they ever needed to connect, just eyes, no words.

* * *

They rode their motorcycles on the back roads around La Push until the rain made them too muddy and Jacob insisted, he was going to pass out if he didn’t eat soon. Billy greeted Bella casually when they got back to his house. He was parked in front of the TV watching a sports show. Bella headed straight to the kitchen to make them all some sandwiches while Jacob went to join his dad. As she moved around the tiny kitchen, she felt like she had never left. It was all so safe and familiar. Everything was in the same place. Nothing had been moved since she had tidied up the cupboards during her last proper visit. Bella used up a whole loaf of bread as she made six sandwiches for Jacob and one each for herself and Billy. When she was done, she carried them on a tray back into the living room, and sat down on the old couch next to Jacob as she shared out the sandwiches. Billy thanked her when she passed him his and automatically switched the TV onto the cookery channel to give Bella something more interesting to watch. Then the three of them settled down in comfortable silence as they ate.

* * *

It was getting late. Bella knew she was going to have to make a move and head on home before Charlie came home from his late shift. After they had eaten the sandwiches, Jacob and Bella had retreated to the garage so they could clean up the bikes. Bella hadn’t been there in months-since Edward hard returned-the thought made her incredibly sad but she tried to hide how down she was feeling.

“This is nice.” She commented as she rubbed down her bike. “I’ve missed this place.”

Jacob smiled, looking around at the two plastic sheds bolted together over their heads. “Yeah, I can understand that.” He hesitated for a minute before continuing. “Do you remember last Valentine’s day? I think that was the last time you were here-the last time things were still…. normal, I mean.”

Bella nodded, her eyes turning wistful. “Of course, I remember. I traded a lifetime of servitude for a box of conversation hearts. That’s not something I’m likely to forget.”

Jacob laughed hollowly, his smile turning bleak. “That’s right. It feels like it was years ago. Another era, a happier one.”

Bella choked up at the melancholy in his tone. This was supposed to be her happy era now. Edward and the Cullens had returned. It was what she had longed for, but somehow the elation she should be feeling was missing. Nothing was how she thought it would be now Edward was back in her life. Most days she was a virtual prisoner in her house and that wasn’t because of Charlie’s rules, it was because she was under constant watch by Edward, or if not him, Alice. School was the same. Her friendship group had narrowed considerably-none of her old circle of friends felt comfortable enough around the Cullens to spend too much time with her-Angela was the only one who still tried, but that was only allowable because Edward regarded her as non-threatening.

Tears welled in Bella’s eyes as she realised how many things she missed from her own personal dark ages. She stared through the garage doors at the murky forest. The rain had picked up again, but it was warm in the little garage sitting next to Jacob. He was as good as a furnace.

Jacob’s fingers brushed her hand. “Things have really changed.”

“Yeah.” Bella reached out and patted the back tire of her bike. “I hope Billy doesn’t tell my dad anything about today.”

“He won’t. He doesn’t get worked up about things the way Charlie does. Hey, I never did apologise officially about the stupid move with the bike. I’m really sorry for ratting you out to Charlie. I wish now I hadn’t.” He looked at her hopefully, his wet, tangled hair sticking up in every direction around his pleading face.

“You don’t need to apologise. I see now that you were provoked into doing it.”

Jacob seemed surprised by her answer. He watched her carefully for a few seconds before speaking again. “You know that day, when I brought the bike over…I’ve been wanting to ask you something.” He said slowly. “But also…not wanting to. Were you just being stubborn because you were mad at me, or were you really serious?”

Bella was almost too afraid to meet his enquiring gaze. She knew exactly what he was referring to. “I don’t think….”

Jacob’s eyes tightened. “I need to know, Bella. Were you serious when you said it was none of my business… if- if he bit you?”

Bella cringed as she remembered their fraught encounter that day. She had said so many things she had meant at the time…. but each passing day had chipped away at her resolve to become a permanent member of Edward’s family. “Jake…” Her throat felt swollen and she couldn’t finish.

Jacob took a deep breath before asking her again. “Were you serious?”

It was like the whole world hinged on her answer. Bella noticed the slight tremors in his body as he waited for her response. He was on the verge of shifting and had to take a deep breath to try and calm himself down. He closed his eyes in preparation. “Please, just tell me. Did you mean it?”

Bella’s reply came out as a quiet exhalation as she finally admitted the truth that she had barely acknowledged even to herself until now. “No.” She whispered. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to be a part of Edward’s family anymore.”

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	9. A Weekend Invitation

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you very much for reading and reviewing the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Nine-A Weekend Invitation **

As much as Bella didn’t want to go home, she knew it was pointless putting it off. Charlie called, demanding to know where she was, panicked when he realised, she hadn’t made it home from work when he returned from his late shift at the station. He was slightly mollified when she explained that Jacob had come to pick her up from work and she had spent the evening in La Push. “I didn’t want to be alone. I’m sorry.”

“You could have least have sent me a text.” Charlie grumbled.

“You’re right. I really am truly sorry, Dad.” Bella apologised again.

His daughter sounded so sincere that he couldn’t help but believe her. He rang off, telling her it was time to come home as she had school in the morning. Jacob drove her back to Forks in the Rabbit. They didn’t talk much. Even though Jacob was secretly elated by her confession, he knew better than to try and pressure her for anymore answers. Just knowing that she had changed her mind of her own accord was enough for now. Her eyes had been opened. His only worry was Cullen’s reaction when she finally plucked up the courage to tell him how she really felt.

“I’ll be around.” Jacob promised as Bella climbed out of the car after he dropped her home.

Bella shook her head, one hand holding the car door open. She leaned in. “No, Jake, you’re exhausted. You need to sleep. I’ll be fine.”

“And I’ll be around.” Jacob said again. “I’m not arguing with you about this, Bells.”

“Stubborn wolf boy.” Bella chided him gently as she threw him a tired smile. “Okay, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” The warm glow from his answering smile made Bella relax. He really was the only ray of sunshine in her life right now. “Goodnight, honey.”

“Goodnight, Jake.” Bella shut the car door and stood on the driveway to wave him off. As soon as the VW Rabbit vanished into the night, she hurried up the porch steps and went into the house, calling out for Charlie as she went.

* * *

Bella knew Edward was still away hunting with the other male members of the coven and was thankful she had one night of grace before she had to face him. What she wasn’t expecting was to find Alice perched lightly on her bed after bidding Charlie goodnight and heading for her bedroom.

“You look like you could use a hot shower.” Alice said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “You reek of wet dog.”

“What are you doing here, Alice?” Bella asked through gritted teeth as she peeled off her jacket and threw it carelessly on the rocking chair, making it sway slightly.

Alice pursed her lips, taking in Bella’s irritated expression carefully. “We’re supposed to be having a sleepover, remember. You didn’t seem to want to come to mine so I came to yours instead.”

“Alice, go home.” Bella felt weariness wash over her as she avoided Alice’s surprised stare and began to change out of her muddy clothes. She got some sense of satisfaction that Alice had clearly been unable to predict her reaction.

“I can’t go home, Bella. I promised Edward I would look after you.” Alice responded after a while as she watched Bella get changed into a pair of comfy sweats and a white t-shirt with a grey wolf emblazoned on the front of it. “Are you trying to be funny wearing that?” She continued in disapproval. “Because I’m not amused.”

“Hardly.” Bella muttered.

“Was it a present from your wolf boy?” Alice probed.

“No.” Bella said shortly. “I’ve had it for years.” She turned away from Alice and began to climb into bed.

“What about your shower?” Alice complained. “I can’t stay in this room all night with the smell of wet dog burning my nose.”

“Then go home.” Bella retorted as she reached out and switched off the lamp, drowning the room in darkness. She curled on her side, facing away from Alice and closed her eyes.

* * *

It was still dark when Bella woke. She was groggy, but knew it was still the early hours of the morning. Her eyes closed, and she stretched, rolling over, only to collide with something hard. She let out a small gasp, rolling back over, trying to see. It was darker than last night-the clouds were too thick for any light to shine through.

“Sorry.” Edward’s velvet voice came out of the darkness. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Bella tensed-she hadn’t been expecting him to be back already-damn Alice! There was friction in the space between them. She could almost taste the fragrance of his frustration with her from the perfume of his breath. She wondered if breathing came to him automatically now, considering he really didn’t need to draw breath for anything other than appearances sake. The stillness in the air wasn’t peaceful-it was like the calm before the storm. She waited for the storm to break and was confused when it didn’t.

Edward’s arms encircled her, cradling her to his chest. His lips searched, hunting along her throat, to her chin, until he finally found her mouth so he could kiss her. “I want to erase every inch of that wet dog smell off of your sweet skin.” He murmured against her lips.

Bella pulled back sharply, horrified by his words. “What are you doing here?” She demanded in a low voice.

“And here it comes.” Edward did little to hide his impatience. “After your recent behaviour I really don’t think you have a right to lecture me.”

Bella’s breathing became uneven. She was infuriated by his audacity. “I can’t believe you just said that.” She replied incredulously.

“You could just say welcome home.” Edward responded with an annoyed sigh. “I don’t want to fight with you right now, Bella. I would much prefer to just lose myself in our sweet reunion.” His hand curved around her elbow, moving slowly down her arm, across her ribs and over her waist.

Bella stopped breathing. This wasn’t the kind of thing he usually allowed. His cold hands made her shiver. He took her trembling as a sign she was enjoying his attentions and he moved his lips to the hollow at the base of her throat.

“Stop!” She hissed at him.

Edward immediately retreated, his hands disappearing from her body. He sat up, his eyes and voice registering confusion. “Is something wrong?”

Bella’s heart was hammering so loudly that she barely heard him. It was the first time she had ever rejected his advances and it actually felt quite liberating. “You can’t just touch me without my consent. You can’t just climb into my room and into my bed without my knowledge.”

“Keep your voice down, Bella. Charlie might hear.” Edward warned her as he tried to overcome his astonishment at her strange reaction. “You’re being ridiculous. You’ve never objected before.” He continued; disapproval strong in his voice.

“Maybe I should have.” Bella muttered as she rolled away from him and closed her eyes, essentially dismissing him by her actions. Her last thought as sleep overwhelmed her again was that Jacob would be proud of her.

* * *

Edward was gone by the time she woke up again in the morning. Bella was glad. She walked into the shower with a vague sense of relief. After eating a quick breakfast with Charlie before bidding him goodbye as he set off for work, she went to the phone to call Jacob. To her disappointment Billy was the one who answered. He told her that Jacob was still sleeping after spending most of the night patrolling.

“What time did he get in?” She asked.

“About three, I think. I really don’t want to disturb him, Bella. He’s exhausted. Can I give him a message instead?” Billy offered.

So that explained how Edward managed to conveniently swap places with Alice and climb into her room undetected. He must had turned up after Jacob left to go home. “Just tell Jake I’ll call him later.” She told Billy.

“Will do.” Billy agreed.

Bella hung up the phone after saying goodbye. Before she had time to ponder what to do next, the doorbell rang. Bella frowned as she pulled the door open to find Edward on the other side. His golden eyes looked at her warmly as an affectionate smile took over his handsome face. He quickly produced the elaborate bunch of flowers he had been hiding behind his back. “For you.” He said softly. “I’m sorry, Bella.”

She knew the flowers were his attempt to appease her. They were the most beautiful and fragrant you could get. They must have cost a fortune. Bella didn’t feel in the mood for another argument so she graciously accepted them and his apology. She was going to have to spend all day at school with him, the tension she was feeling around him would be made worse if he was upset with her.

“Ready to go?” Edward asked.

“Yeah.” Bella said wearily, though she was far from it. “I’m ready.”

* * *

It was a long and gruelling day. Edward stuck to her like glue all day. Bella didn’t have a minute to herself. Even when she tried to escape to the bathroom, Alice went with her. Bella locked herself in one of the small cubicles and pulled out her cell phone. It was the only chance she had to check her messages without Edward or his sister looking over her shoulder. As she expected there were several from Jacob. He was worried about her, saying he was sorry he missed her call and hoped to see her later on that evening. Bella felt tears slide out of her eyes as she quickly texted him back.

“Bella, are you nearly done?” Alice knocked on the door to hurry her up.

“I’m coming.” Bella said sarcastically through the locked door. “I didn’t realise I was on the clock.”

“Don’t be flippant, Bella.” Alice was clearly not amused.

Bella felt the familiar flash of annoyance overwhelm her. She was sick of being so stifled. If she could fit through the small window at the back of the cubicle she would try and escape. Chasing that ridiculous notion out of her mind before Alice picked up on it, Bella flushed the toilet and unlocked the door.

* * *

Charlie was in a good mood when she finally got home from school. He ignored Edward as usual. Edward made his usual excuses about why he couldn’t eat with them. He retreated to the front room to watch the nightly news. Bella served up the stroganoff that she had made from old Grandma Swan’s recipe because she knew it was one of Charlie’s favourites. She watched with grim amusement as he scoffed down three helpings before declaring himself satisfied.

“That was great, Bells.” He said, patting his distended stomach.

“I’m glad you liked it. How was work?”

“Sort of slow. Well, dead slow really. Mac and I played cards for a good part of the afternoon.” Charlie grinned. “I won, nineteen hands to seven. And then I was on the phone to Billy for a while.”

Bella tried to keep her expression neutral. “How is he?”

“Good, good. His joints are bothering him a little.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Yeah, he invited us down to visit this weekend. He was thinking of having the Uley’s over too. Sort of a playoff party…”

“Count me in.” Bella cut in quickly.

“Good. That’s great, kiddo. It should be fun.” Charlie beamed, obviously surprised by her fast agreement. He rose to his feet and began to help her clear the table.

Bella thanked Jacob in her head. She knew that he was behind the invitation. A whole weekend of freedom lay ahead and she couldn’t be happier. She knew Edward wouldn’t be happy that she was going to hit a werewolf party, even with parental supervision, but she found she didn’t care. As she piled the dishes in the sink Edward reappeared in the kitchen.

“May I have a word, Charlie.” He said in a conversational tone.

“That’s Chief Swan to you.” Charlie growled as he stopped in the middle of the little kitchen.

“Of course.” Edward murmured deferentially. “Did Bella ever tell you that my parents gave her airplane tickets on her last birthday, so that she could visit Renee?”

Bella dropped the plate she was scrubbing. It glanced off the counter and was nimbly caught by Edward. He handed it back to her, his eyes tightening at the corners as he looked at her.

Charlie didn’t even notice. “Bella, what is he talking about? Is this true?”

“Yes.” Bella kept her eyes on the plate when she answered.

“Humpf.” Charlie’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Edward. “I presume you have a reason for bringing it up, boy.” He demanded.

Edward didn’t even flinch. “They’re about to expire. I think it might hurt Esme’s feelings if Bella doesn’t use her gift. Not that she’d say anything.”

Bella stared at Edward in disbelief. She couldn’t believe he was doing this to her, deliberately laying a trap to stop her going to La Push for the weekend.

Charlie was lost in thought. “Its probably a good idea for you to visit your mom, Bells. She’d love that.”

“Dad, I don’t….”

Charlie held up his hand to silence her. “I noticed that you said _they’re_ about to expire.” He said to Edward, his tone steely. “How many tickets did your parents give her?”

“Just one for her… and one for me.”

Bella tensed as Charlie exhaled loudly. Blood rushed to her face, fuelled by irritation and anger toward Edward. How dare he?

“That is not going to happen, boy.” Charlie thundered, making Bella jump.

“Why?” Edward’s voice was saturated with innocent surprise. Bella would have slapped him but she would only end up breaking her hand. “You just said it would be a good idea for Bella to see her mother.”

A vein in Charlie’s forehead began to pulse. He turned around to face Bella. “You’re not going anywhere with him, young lady.” He yelled. “Do you hear me? If you want to go and see Renee, I’ll take you myself during the next holiday.”

Bella breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly capitulated to Charlie’s demands. She could have hugged him. “Whatever you say, Dad.”

“Huh?” Charlie’s bluster quickly died when he realised she wasn’t going to put up fight. He scratched his head in confusion. “Good…that’s good.”

Bella chanced a quick glance in Edward’s direction, but quickly wished she hadn’t. His teeth clenched together with an audible snap. He struggled to compose himself as Charlie turned his laser like stare back to him. “You’ve got your answer. If your mother is that upset about the cost of the wasted tickets, tell her I’ll reimburse her. Or maybe you should use them. Take her on a nice trip away to somewhere warm. Now clear off. You’ve already stayed well past the curfew.”

Edward had no choice but to comply. He bid Bella a stiff goodbye as Charlie quickly hustled him out of the house, closing the door firmly behind him.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	10. Leah Clearwater

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Ten-Leah Clearwater **

As soon as Jacob stepped out of his house, Bella was running to meet him. Her eyes slowly filled with tears of joy, the stress and anxiety of the last few days falling away at the sight of him. Before she knew it, she was hugging him tightly, her tears dripping from her cheeks on to his black shirt. His arms were encircled around her, making her forget where she was except for his smiling face in front of her.

“You’re wearing a shirt.” She laughed through her tears.

“All for Charlie’s benefit. You know what your dad’s like when I walk around half dressed.” Jacob revealed with one of his happy grins. “You look good, Bells.” He complimented her; admiration clear in his eyes.

Bella blushed slightly under his scrutiny. “They’re just clothes, Jake.” She mumbled, rolling her eyes. She was wearing her favourite pair of black skinny jeans-the one she normally kept for special occasions, pairing them with a pair of ballet flats. The shoes weren’t practical, but as they weren’t intending to go hiking or anything like that, she thought she could get away with them. The outfit was completed with a simple white t-shirt which she wore under a fitted blazer. Her hair was styled simply, a simple frame for the shy smile she was shooting Jacob. There was a warmth her brown hair brought to her features, the hue altered as the strands curled and moved, as free as fall leaves playing in the sunshine.

They pulled apart when they saw Charlie eyeing them with interest. “Nice to see you in a shirt for a change, Jake.”

Jacob shrugged and gave him a disarming smile. “Nice to see you out of your uniform for a change, Charlie.”

“I’d lay off with the jokes if I were you, kid.” Charlie countered. “Leave the comedy to the experts. Where’s your old man?”

“In his usual spot.”

“Parked in front of the TV.” Charlie shook his head as he hoisted the case of beers that he’d brought with him further up into his arms. “When are the Uley’s due to get here?”

“Soon.” Jacob replied. “The Clearwater’s are coming over, too. Dad thought it would do Sue some good to get out of the house.”

“Yeah.” Charlie murmured as sadness took over his face. “I’ll see you inside, kids.”

Bella felt the same sadness skate over her skin. The sorrow at Harry’s passing was still fresh in everyone’s minds. She knew that it had a profound effect on Charlie, he tried to hide his grief from her, but in quieter moments it was etched all over his face.

Jacob’s warm fingers wrapping around hers brought her out of her quiet introspection. She looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears. He looked back at her in understanding. “The others aren’t here yet. Let’s go and spend some time in the Taj.”

“Good idea.” Bella agreed, squeezing his fingers gratefully.

* * *

They sat in the Rabbit together, sharing a warm soda. Jacob leaned back; his face drawn with exhaustion. “You need more sleep, Jacob.” Bella said in concern.

“I’ll get around to it.” Jacob reached over and took her hand again.

Bella’s hand felt toasty warm in his. His skin was blazing with heat. “I forget how much warmer you are than ordinary people.”

“Yeah. I could stand in a snowstorm and it wouldn’t bother me.” Jacob bragged. “The snow would turn to rain where I stood.”

“I remember you saying something like that before.”

“Did I? I can’t remember.” Jacob frowned slightly. “Time’s just going too fast.”

“I know.” Bella agreed as the familiar melancholy soured the mood. “Is it getting any better, Jake? The whole wolf thing I mean.”

“Its better now that you know.” Jacob leaned over so that his cheek was resting on top of her head. “What about you, Bells? Are you okay?”

“Its better now I’m here.” She said, closing her eyes briefly.

Jacob smoothed her hair back from her face. “I’m here for you, Bells. You know that, right? I’ll be whatever you need me to be.”

It was such an odd thing to say. Bella looked at his face, trying to read his expression, but he caught her staring and he brushed away her concern with his familiar sunny smile. Giving up, Bella leaned against him and rested her head back on his broad shoulder. They sat in companionable silence for a while until the arrival of the Uley’s disturbed their peace.

* * *

Emily had brought a cake with her that was immediately appropriated by the older men. Bella welcomed Emily with a friendly hug, but was more reserved with Sam. She gave him a small smile, hiding slightly behind Jacob as she did so. Sam’s stern face relaxed a little as he acknowledged everyone.

“Want a beer?” Billy offered, immediately breaking the tension.

“Sure, Billy.” Sam said gruffly as he went to join Billy and Charlie.

“I’ll have one.” Jacob joked.

“You will not!” Charlie huffed indignantly.

“He’s ribbing you, Chief.” Billy laughed. “Take your police chief’s hat off for the evening and treat yourself to some of Emily’s delicious cake.”

“I told you to lay off the jokes already.” Charlie warned Jacob again, but he was smiling now as he helped himself to a hefty slice of cake.

The conversation flowed naturally after that. Everyone was relaxed and in a congenial mood. Then the Clearwater’s arrived….

* * *

The mood dampened considerably when Sue and her children walked inside the house. It had been a while since Bella had seen Sue, Leah and Seth since Harry had died, and the changes in the family dynamic were clear to see. Seth had undergone a massive growth spurt. He towered above his mother; the childish roundness of his face had matured in to that of an adult. He reminded Bella so much of how much Jacob had changed in such a short of period of time that she instantly guessed the true reason behind it-and it wasn’t just to do with Harry’s passing. She tried to catch Jacob’s eye, but he was preoccupied talking to Seth’s mother. Sue appeared exhausted. Dark circles underscored her eyes, it was obvious she hadn’t been sleeping much or eating much, either. She was rail thin.

However, it was the changes in Leah that shocked Bella the most. Leah was older than her by more than a year. She was as beautiful as ever in an exotic kind of way-perfect copper skin, eyelashes like feather dusters-she had cut her glistening long black hair into a shorter, more practical bobbed style. Like Seth, she appeared to have undergone a growth spurt-she was supermodel tall, her toned body the envy of any pro-athlete. But the physical changes in Leah wasn’t the thing that shocked Bella the most, it was the hard look in the older girl’s eyes, which only got worse the moment they landed on Sam and Emily.

You could suddenly cut the atmosphere with a knife. Bella saw Emily quail slightly as she tried to meet her cousin’s eyes. As for Sam, he couldn’t maintain eye-contact at all. In fact, it seemed to pain him to even be in the same room as Leah, he was clearly struggling to maintain his normal stoical expression.

“Why don’t we all head outside. It’s getting quite crowded in here.” Billy suggested lightly.

“Good idea.” Charlie mumbled. Even he was picking up on the obvious tension, even if he didn’t understand it. “Jake… Seth-why don’t you help me put out some chairs?” He asked them.

“Sure, sure.” Jacob replied easily. He followed Charlie and Seth out of the house, pausing briefly to capture Bella’s hand and give it a comforting squeeze when he passed her.

* * *

Bella had so many burning questions to ask Jacob, but was forced to keep them to herself while they were surrounded by others. Everyone ate spaghetti off paper plates-Billy’s super-secret recipe being put to the test once again. Billy and Charlie talked about the game. Emily sat with Sue, talking to the older woman in hushed whispers. Bella remained with Jacob and Seth-the latter didn’t speak much, he was too busy staring bleakly at his mother’s drawn face. Jacob kept up an easy flow of conversation about inconsequential things. Bella loved his easy confidence and the way he slowly managed to draw Seth out of himself, finally getting the young teenager to relax and join in the conversation.

Leah and Sam were the only ones who remained aloof. They sat on opposite sides of the circle, doing their best to avoid even any slight contact with each other. Bella watched them covertly, trying to be inconspicuous, while she observed their strained body language.

This was Washington, though, and soon the inevitable rain eventually broke up the party. Everyone piled back into the house, though the living room was much too small to contain everyone. Jacob, Sam and Seth remained outside as they hurriedly cleared away the chairs and tidied up the abandoned paper plates and empty beer bottles.

Bella found herself squashed into the Black’s tiny kitchen with Leah. So far, the two girls had hardly spoken a word to each other, besides the initial greetings. Bella had no idea what to say now, she struggled for something profound, but came up with nothing but a lame- “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Irritation took over Leah’s face in the half-light. Her pretty features twisted into a bitter scowl. “I’m sure you are.” She said scornfully. “Why are you here, Bella? Have you just come here to torture Jacob some more?”

Bella was aghast at the ferocity in Leah’s tone. She knew the other girl was struggling with her grief, but the personal attack was one step too far. “You don’t what you’re talking about.”

Leah snorted derisively in response. “Oh, I do.”

Bella felt at a distinct disadvantage. It didn’t help that Leah was so much taller than she was. She turned her head to find the older girl scrutinising her carefully and her traitorous skin flushed as heat rushed through her face. “What?” She demanded.

Leah continued to stare at her coldly. Bella stared back, struggling to maintain eye-contact, yet unwilling to back down. “Why do you have such a problem with me?” She asked eventually.

Leah’s gaze remained immobile as the rest of her face. She was frozen for at least five seconds before the corners of her mouth twitched and her eyes quit staring. “You really don’t know, do you?” She asked, her tone perplexed. “Jacob hasn’t told you.”

“Told me what?” Bella felt the anxiety and fear building up inside her. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend but it was turning into anything but. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Clearly.” Leah’s expression darkened as she suddenly seemed to come to a decision. “Let’s take a walk.”

“Where to?” Bella was reluctant to go anywhere with Leah Clearwater right now.

“Somewhere we won’t be overheard or interrupted.” Leah said in a low voice. When Bella hesitated, her expression hardened. “If you want to be a coward and remain ignorant, it’s up to you. Or you can come with me right now and find out the truth. The choice is yours.” She didn’t wait for Bella’s response, instead casually walked out of the back door as if nothing was amiss.

After a few moments of internal struggle, Bella decided to follow her.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	11. The Story of a Broken Heart

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Eleven-The Story of a Broken Heart **

Bella looked nervously at Leah as she paced back and forth along the edge of the shoreline. They had driven to their location after Leah had initially insisted on going for a walk. Bella found this strange, considering they had only driven as far as First beach. If Jacob found she was missing, it would take him a little while to track her down, her scent would peter out in the exact spot Leah had parked her car. Bella was wondering if the older girl had done this deliberately, but that couldn’t be the case. She didn’t know about the wolves….

The wind caressed Bella’s face as she waited impatiently for Leah to speak. She looked around, thinking how much she loved this beach. She had spent such a significant amount of time here, that it was one of her favourite places in all of La Push. The sand was the gentlest hue of gold, almost earthen and muted, in its humble quality. She loved the driftwood that floated upon the buoyant waves like tiny rescue boats. If she strained her eyes, she was sure she could see the same piece of driftwood log that had been the setting for many of her and Jacob’s most intimate conversations.

“How can you stand being around them?” Leah’s question was so out of left field that it left Bella feeling confused. When Leah saw the bewilderment in her eyes, her face twisted into its familiar scowl. “I’m talking about the Cullens. How can you stand being around them?”

“I don’t know what you mean…” Bella hedged as she tried to play for time.

“Don’t play dumb, girl. I know exactly what the Cullens are.”

Leah’s admission sent Bella reeling. She knew she was descending into a panic attack when she became short of breath. It was always the first sign. She was breathing but the air just wouldn’t go in, like her lungs were surrounded by metal bands. Next came the dizzy feeling and the need to get low to the ground. She crouched down on the beach, her head bent forward, eyes pressed tightly closed.

“Pathetic!” Leah muttered. She showed no sympathy as she watched Bella fall apart in front of her. In fact, she got mild satisfaction at seeing her struggle. “I don’t know why I’m even bothering with you, but even though I dislike you intensely, you deserve to know the truth.” She continued flatly. “You know that Sam and I used to be a couple…before out of nowhere he dumped me for my own cousin.”

All Bella could manage was a nod.

“We were high school sweethearts. We started dating when I was just a freshman. We were deeply in love. It wasn’t just some fling like some people like to presume.” Leah’s voice changed, became heavier. “I was frantic when he disappeared. Mom and I had the forest rangers out searching for him, the police. I thought he’d suffered some kind of accident out in the wilderness. Strangely my dad didn’t seem bothered at all. He kept saying I was making a fuss over nothing and that Sam would return in his own time. How stupid was I?”

Bella felt as if her lungs were slowly filling with water, as if there was just less space in them for the air. Inflating them felt like pushing up a lead weight on her chest. The despair in Leah’s voice was all too familiar. She imagined that was how she sounded when Edward first abandoned her. She thought about Emily and Sam and realised how silly she had been to imagine that Sam had never loved anyone with as much depth as he loved Emily. Most people fall in and out of love many times in their lives. It was just she had seen Sam with Emily, and she couldn’t imagine him with anyone else. The way he looked at her…well, it reminded her of a look she had seen in Jacob’s eyes when he looked her way….

Her last thought remained suspended in front of her as she raised her head and looked sharply up at Leah.

“Sam came back.” Leah carried on talking, completely oblivious to Bella’s reaction. “He wouldn’t talk to me; he wouldn’t talk to anyone. It upset me that he felt he couldn’t confide in me. Rumours flew-that he was up to no good, mostly. I knew that wasn’t true. Even though he was becoming more and more secretive I continued to support him because I loved him.”

Bella saw a pained expression cross the older girl’s face and she swallowed thickly. She slowly rose to her feet again now she was more in control of her emotions, though she remained silent as Leah composed herself enough to continue with her story.

“I tried to be as patient as possible but as time went on it got harder and harder. I grew tired of not knowing what was going on-like where he’d been, where he went at night, why he was always so exhausted-but we were trying to work it out. I know he really loved me as much as I loved him.”

Leah paused again and ran her fingers through the black, silky strands of her bobbed hair restlessly. “Then Emily came down from the Makah reservation to visit me one weekend.”

Bella’s brow furrowed as she heard the bitterness seep into Leah’s tone. She could guess what was coming next…or at least she thought she could. She asked the question anyway. “What happened next?”

Leah’s knuckles turned white from clenching her fist too hard, and gritted her teeth in an effort to remain calm. “Sam broke my heart.”

“But why?” Bella asked faintly. “If you were so in love how could Sam….?” Bella’s voice tailed off, shaking her head in confusion.

“And here we reach the crux of this sorry tale.” Leah sneered. “And just one of the secrets that Jacob has been keeping from you… _imprinting!_ ” She spat the last word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Imprinting?” Bella repeated the unfamiliar word. “No. What does that mean?”

“Its one of the bizarre things we have to deal with.”

“We?” Bella began to feel the rising panic grab her in its chokehold again. “When you say we…?”

“I’m the pack bitch.” Leah revealed with a grim smile. “I’m the only female to have ever phased. Lucky me!”

“I don’t…” Bella halted, knowing that what Leah said was true-the physical changes, the sudden growth spurt that she and her brother had undergone, making them almost unrecognisable from their former selves. That meant- “Seth is a wolf, too.”

“At last she catches on!” Leah responded sarcastically.

“Jake never….”

“Of course, he didn’t.” Leah cut in. “If he told you about it, it would have meant answering some very uncomfortable questions and he wasn’t ready to do that.”

The lies that that Bella feared the most are the ones close enough to the truth to pass under the radar, or else the ones that are so big you'd never dream a person could make something like that up. Lies swirled all around her, she felt like she was suffocating. Jacob had lied to her, or lied by omission. She didn’t know which was worse.

“You want to know why Sam suddenly attached himself to my precious cousin? Imprinting was to blame. Its one of those bizarre things that we have to deal with. I was kept in the dark and would have still remained so if I hadn’t phased.” Leah’s face darkened as she began to pace, her fists clenching and unclenching as she moved. “I suffered so much. I was in agony. I didn’t understand why he had broken up with me after being in a serious relationship for three years. Then when I found out that he was pursuing Emily-I was so fucking hurt, so angry. I relied on her loyalty to me. I thought she would never betray me by starting up a relationship with him…. how wrong I was!”

Bella’s eyes strayed to the ocean. It hurt too much to look at Leah. The other girl’s raw emotions reminded her too much of her own when Edward had broken her heart after abandoning her without an adequate explanation, the only difference was how they had handled the aftermath-Leah had sought refuge in her anger, while Bella had withdrawn into herself and become a zombie. She let the other girl rant for a while before pushing her to explain what imprinting actually was.

“Sam did love me.” Leah sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. “But when he saw Emily, that didn’t matter anymore. I ceased to exist for him…” Her dark eyes became glassy with tears and she blinked furiously to get rid of them, ashamed at her show of weakness. “No one knows exactly why…but we find our mates that way.” Her eyes flashed back to Bella. “Like…soul mates.”

“Soul mates? Like love at first sight?” Bella’s throat was so tight that she could hardly speak. “You’re all affected? You have no choice?”

“Its supposed to be more powerful than that. More absolute.” Leah replied sarcastically. “Its not easy to explain. It doesn’t matter anyway.” She shrugged indifferently. “I’m only telling you because you had a right to know what you’re getting involved in. Sam broke my heart. He went back on every promise he made me. And every day I suffer for it. You’ll suffer too if you don’t protect yourself.” She looked directly at Bella, her eyes narrowing. “So, now you know. What you choose to do with this information is up to you.”

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	12. Worry

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you very much for kindly reading and reviewing the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Twelve-Worry **

Leah dropped Bella off back at the Black’s house without speaking another word to her. Bella was glad of it. Her mind was still reeling from everything the older girl had told her…

_“I’m only telling you because you had a right to know what you’re getting involved in. Sam broke my heart. He went back on every promise he made me. And every day I suffer for it. You’ll suffer too if you don’t protect yourself. So, now you know. What you choose to do with this information is up to you.”_

What was she supposed to do?

Leah’s words resounded in Bella’s head as she dug her hands deep into the pockets of her blazer and looked up as she felt a raindrop fall against her skin, followed by several others, but she didn't have the heart to go back inside. She continued to stare upwards at the remaining constellations uncovered from the clouds. The moon hung full and hazy beneath an eclipse of blazing stars. Her body was a fountain for the incoming rain, the water making her eyelids heavy. Bella closed her eyes, a defeated sigh passing through her parted lips as she did so, causing her breath to fog up in front of her, obscuring her vision, as she took in the feeling of wet, bruised skin. 

“There you are, kiddo.” Charlie’s voice coming out of the darkness made her jump. “What are you doing out here in the rain? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Why?” Bella asked dully. “I’m right here.”

The flat tone in her voice alarmed Charlie. It was too reminiscent of her old zombie days. The marked change in her mood since they had arrived in La Push confused him. She had seemed fine earlier. “Jake was looking for you, too. He looked quite worried. You haven’t fallen out again…have you?” He asked cautiously.

“No.” Bella averted her gaze so he couldn’t see the pain etched on her face when he said Jake’s name. “I’m not really feeling that well, Dad. I know we were supposed to make a weekend of it…but do you think we could just go home.”

Charlie’s expression turned to one of mild impatience. It was clear he wasn’t buying her lame excuse about not feeling well. “We’re not leaving. Bella.” He told her straight. “Billy has gone to a lot of effort and it’d be rude to let him down. If you’ve got a headache, take a pill. If its Jake you’re trying to avoid for whatever reason…then just grow up and face him. You’re not a child anymore. Act like the adult you claim to be and sort it out.”

* * *

Glowering with resentment, Bella reluctantly followed her father back to the Black’s house when he refused to back down and concede to her wishes. She wasn’t ready to face Jacob and Charlie was practically forcing the issue. She was stung by his accusation that she was being childish. He had no idea what was going on, or how Leah’s bombshell had thrown her through a loop. And she wasn’t able to tell him. So, once again, she was forced to put on an act and suffer in silence as they joined the others. It seemed she wasn’t fooling one person, though. She caught Billy looking at her critically once or twice, almost as if he was privy to the chaos going on inside her head.

But there was no way that he could possibly know?

Could he?

It was only when she looked around the gathered group that Bella realised that Leah hadn’t returned to join them and was missing. She wasn’t the only one. Jake still hadn’t come back, and to her consternation, Sam was nowhere to be seen, either. This couldn’t be coincidence. Bella’s eyes darted anxiously to Billy to find he was in close consultation with Emily. Emily looked tense. Her head was bowed, her midnight black hair concealing the scars on her face. Bella’s eyes traversed the others, searching for Seth. To her relief, she spotted him sitting next to his mother, but her relief didn’t last long when she saw the watchful look in his eyes. He was trying to appear nonchalant but Bella could see the same tension surrounding him like it was Emily.

There could be only one reason why so many of the pack were absent all at the same time…. Victoria!

* * *

Bella endured several more hours of quiet despair as she waited for Jacob and the others to return. She was fidgety and couldn’t keep still, much to Charlie’s annoyance. “What is wrong with you, Bella?” He demanded in a low voice, embarrassed by her odd behaviour.

“Nothing.” Bella muttered defensively. She fled to the bathroom on the pre-text of needing the toilet. She locked herself inside and put her hand over her mouth to stifle her sob. She rested her forehead against the bathroom door, her eyelids shut so tightly they began to fidget and shudder from the bullish force, as if the very corner of her eyes were being pricked with a needle, crying silent tears that ran down her pale cheeks and over her knuckles, until finally dripping onto the floor as she drowned in her silent agony.

Bella didn’t know how long she stayed there, internally fighting to keep her jagged emotions under control. This was just another hammer blow she couldn’t cope with on the tail end of Leah’s upsetting revelations. She was upset with Jacob for keeping such vital secrets from her, but also completely terrified that something might happen to him and the others as they confronted the dangerous redhead.

A gentle tap on the other side of the door, followed by a tentative- ‘Bella?’-had her wrenching the door open and flinging herself into Jacob’s arms. He had come back. He wasn’t hurt. She felt his slight hesitation before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, gently rubbing her arm. Despite the heaviness in her stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of her body pressed against his. She sunk into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple gesture. His touch made the room warmer somehow, her future within its walls seeming a little less bleak.

“Where have you been?” She pleaded; her voice muffled against his chest. “I’ve been going out of my mind.”

Jacob’s breath was warm against her cheek as he lowered his head and whispered in her ear. “Let’s take a walk.”

* * *

“Embry and Quil were running patrols, just routine stuff, when out of nowhere they found a fresh trail-not fifteen minutes old. They alerted us straight away. I took off, giving the excuse that I was looking for you…”

Bella felt her throat tighten. “Jake, I was with…”

“I know who you were with, Bells. No secrets in the pack mind, remember.” Jacob said, tapping the side of his head.

“So, you know what….”

“Leah told you. Yes.” Jacob cut in again.

“Are you ever going to let me finish a sentence?” Bella demanded irritably.

“You just did.” Jacob quipped.

“Not funny, Jake.”

“I know.” Jacob sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “I have much to say about that…but maybe I should finish telling you what happened first.”

“K.’” Bella agreed tensely. “So, Embry and Quil found a fresh trail.” She prompted him.

“Right.” Jacob exchanged a quick glance with her before continuing. “We took off after the redhead at full speed, but she’d crossed the treaty line before we caught up. We spread out along the line, hoping she’d cross back over. It was frustrating, let me tell you.” His expression darkened at the memory. “We ended up too far south. That’s when we encountered the Cullens.”

Bella tripped over her own feet in surprise when he mentioned Edward’s family. She hadn’t expected them to be part of the story. Jacob reached out with his hand to steady her, an automatic response. He was used to how uncoordinated she could be.

“They had picked up her trail too.” Jacob carried on as if there had been no interruption. “The Cullens chased her back to our side just a few miles north of us. Would have been the perfect ambush if we’d known where to wait.” He shook his head, clearly irritated with what he was about to reveal next. “That’s when it got dicey. Sam and the others had caught up to her before we did, but she was dancing along the line, and the whole coven was there on the other side. Your bloodsucker- “His expression turned grim and he stopped talking.

“Edward?” Bella felt her skin flush.

Jacob noticed and scowled. “Yeah, him. He made a lunge for her, right at the same time I did. He did it deliberately, Bells. I know he did.” When Bella opened her mouth to respond, Jacob’s expression hardened further. “Don’t you dare defend him!” He warned her.

“Don’t you dare to presume what I was going to say!” Bella retorted. “Just tell me what happened next?”

Jacob gave her a long look. “The red head is fast. We ended up ramming into each other. I know he’d done it on purpose. I lost my focus for a minute- “

Bella couldn’t escape the hurricane of her thoughts, the positive and the negative analysis of the actions and words of others. Could Edward have acted deliberately to thwart Jacob from capturing the red head because he didn’t want his rival to come across as a hero? “What did you do?” Bella asked flatly.

“I sprang at him-hey, don’t you dare give me that look. The vampire was on our land.”

Bella tried to compose her face so that he would go on. Her nails digging into her palms with the stress of the story.

“Anyway, I missed, the coward got back on his side. Sam ordered me to stand down. Then their leader and the blonde male….”

“Carlisle and Jasper.”

Jacob threw her an exasperated glance. “I don’t give a shit what they call themselves. Anyway, so Carlisle spoke to Sam, trying to calm things down. Then it was weird because everyone got really calm really fast. It was that blonde male you told me about, messing with our heads. But even though we knew what we were doing, we couldn’t not be calm.”

“Yeah, I know how that feels.” Bella muttered.

“Really fucking annoying, that’s how it feels. Only you can’t be annoyed until afterwards.” Jacob shook his head and clenched his jaw. “So, Sam and the head vamp agreed that the red head was the priority, and we started after her again. But, she’s wily. She took off into the water again. The head vamp wanted permission to cross the treaty line to go after her, but of course we refused.”

“Of course, you did.” Bella agreed, she raised her eyes to his and glared at him. “But how could you be so stupid, Jake? You could have gotten hurt!”

Jacob snorted derisively. “Against the leech? I can easily take him down.”

“No, you idiot, I mean Victoria. You really have no comprehension how worried I’ve been, do you? You can’t be reckless with your life, especially when it comes to some crappy rivalry with Edward. What if she had taken advantage of your loss of control, huh?”

Jacob’s eyes lightened a little. “So, you were worried about me, huh?”

“Don’t push your luck, Jake.” Bella warned him. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Right.” Jacob murmured. He took a deep breath and turned to face Bella; his expression apprehensive. “Okay, truth time. I think you better sit down for this one, Bells.” He said.

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	13. Imprinting

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Thirteen-Imprinting **

For the second time in just a few hours Bella found herself back on First beach. She considered it ironic that most of the significant talks she’d had with Jake were always set here. The beach stretched out alongside the water, while the stars glowed above as if they had kept a pocket of the daytime to shine all through the night sky. Bella breathed in deeply of ocean carried air, listening to the percussion of waves that sounded as soothing as any lullaby. She followed Jacob across the sand to the familiar driftwood log, shining pale in the half-dark. While she sat down, he remained standing, staring off toward the horizon.

Finally, after taking time to gather his thoughts, he sat beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders to share his warmth. “I know you’ve heard Leah’s version of what happened with her and Sam…but I don’t think she really gave you a clear idea of what imprinting is.”

“Okay…just tell me in the way that is easiest for you.” Bella could sense his internal struggle as he tried to find the right words to explain the concept.

Jacob was quiet for a few minutes. “I think I should start by telling you what really happened with Sam. It’s a long story. And…very strange. There are so many strange things about this new life. I haven’t told you the half of it.”

“I’m listening.” Bella coaxed him gently. “Take your time.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to explain it right, but I’ll try my best.” Jacob promised. He glanced at Bella when she rested her head on his shoulder, the simple gesture of trust made him relax enough to begin his story. “Sam had it so much harder than the rest of us. Because he was the first, and he was alone, and he didn’t have anyone to tell him what was happening.”

“Poor Sam.” Bella murmured. She had a newfound empathy for Sam that she hadn’t before. She realised how selfish and self-absorbed she had been not to even consider what he had gone through. To have your whole life turned upside down and not understand what was happening. She shuddered to think how frightening it must have been for him.

“Sam’s grandfather died before he was born.” Jacob continued. “And his father had never been around. There was no one there to recognise the signs. The first time it happened-the first time he phased-he thought he had gone insane. It took him two weeks to calm down enough to change back,”

“That’s when Leah had the forest rangers out searching for him as well as the police…” Bella remembered.

“Yeah, people thought there had been an accident or something. This all happened before you came to Forks.”

Bella raised her head from his shoulder and looked at Jacob’s profile. His face was half in shadow, his voice changed, became heavier. “Leah told you that she and Sam were high-school sweethearts. I’ll skip that part….” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Anyway, Sam came back, but he wouldn’t talk to anyone about where he’d been. And then one day he happened to run into Quil’s grandfather one afternoon when Old Quil Ateara came to visit Mrs Uley. Sam shook his hand and Old Quil just about had a stroke.”

“Why?” Bella asked curiously. Jacob rolled his eyes as he placed his hand on her cheek. The palm of his hand was hot against her frigid skin. “Oh, right.” She said, feeling stupid for asking in the first place. “The wolf fever!”

Jacob laughed darkly. “Sam’s hand was so hot it was like he’d left it sitting on stop of a stovetop.” He leaned in close, his face inches from hers and left his hand resting against the side of Bella’s face. She made no move to take it away. “So Old Quil went straight to the other elders. They were the only ones left who still knew, who remembered. Old Quil, my dad, and Harry Clearwater had actually seen their grandfathers make the change. They met with Sam secretly and explained.”

Jacob paused again, dropping his hand from Bella’s face and into his lap. His gaze seemed to drift inward as if he was seeing this all play out inside his head, like watching a movie. “It was easier for Sam when he understood-when he wasn’t alone anymore. They knew he wouldn’t be the only ones affected by the Cullens return- “

“Hey, stop right there.” Bella cut in. She sat up straighter, twisting her body around slightly to face him fully. “Are you telling me that it was the Cullens coming back here that initiated the change?”

“I thought that was obvious.” Jacob answered bitterly.

“But they couldn’t have known.” Bella said in a whisper. “I mean…Carlisle, he would never have…”

“Give me a break, Bella!” Jacob snapped at her. “They’re not stupid. Of course, they had to have known that their continued presence here would trigger the wolf gene. They just didn’t care. And that coven leader you are so fond of defending definitely knew.”

Bella’s face paled and she retreated from Jacob a little while she tried to compose herself. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

“Look, Bells, I shouldn’t have shouted, okay. Its just hearing you defend them…” Jacob sighed, shaking his head. “Do you want to hear the rest of the story?” He asked after a while.

Bella nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Jacob’s eyes tightened as he sensed her distress, but he didn’t make a move to comfort her. Not this time. He resumed speaking. “Now I’m getting to the weird part…. Sam’s life improved once he knew what was going on. In most ways his life was back to normal. Of course, he couldn’t tell Leah. We aren’t supposed to tell anyone who doesn’t have to know. And it wasn’t really safe to be around her-but he cheated, just like I did with you.”

Bella’s face warmed up from the memory. “I remember.”

“Yeah.” Jacob reached for her hand. “This is when Emily comes into the story. Emily came down from the Makah reservation to visit with Leah one weekend.” He paused and his fingers tightened around hers. “Sam did love Leah. But when he saw Emily, that didn’t matter anymore.”

“This is the imprinting Leah told me about?” Bella felt her stomach beginning to churn with anxiety.

Jacob swallowed thickly. “Yeah…its like love at first sight but more powerful.” His eyes strayed to the ocean as he avoided Bella’s gaze. “This is not easy to explain… you already know how it affected Leah. But Sam and Emily are so utterly right together, two puzzle pieces, shaped for each other exactly. Still…their coming together came at a huge cost to them and Leah as well.”

“What happened?” Bella was on tenterhooks; Jacob’s constant pauses were driving her crazy. “How did Emily deal with this?”

Jacob’s voice turned bleak. “She was really angry in the beginning. But its hard to resist that level of commitment and adoration. And then, Sam could tell her everything. There are no rules that can bind you when you find your other half.”

Bella looked at him sharply when he made that statement. The cogs in her brain slowly began to turn. She didn’t interrupt him though, just continued to scrutinise him carefully.

“I know you’ve heard how Emily got hurt.” Jacob sighed and bowed his head slightly. “Weirdly enough, that was sort of how they resolved things. Sam was so sickened, so horrified by what he had done…. He would have thrown himself under a bus if it made Emily feel better. He might have anyway, just to escape what he’d done. He was so shattered…. then somehow, she was the one comforting him, and after that….” His voice lowered in pitch. “Everyone was badly affected-Sam, Emily and Leah. Sam hates himself for hurting Emily. He hates himself for breaking Leah’s heart. But where Emily has forgiven him…. Leah just can’t.”

Bella felt Jacob’s eyes trained on her face as he waited out her reaction. She gazed away, turned toward the jagged rocks that rose from the ocean like stubby broken off fingers on the south rim of the harbour.

“It happened to you, didn’t it?” She finally asked, still looking away. “This love at first sight thing?”

“Yes.” Jacob admitted.

“And because of it you’ve ended up in a love triangle of your own.”

“Yes.”

“That’s why you’ve more or less always told me everything.”

“Yes.”

“Even before you phased.”

Jacob let out a gusty sigh. “Yes.”

“Your imprint is not the same as Sam and Emily’s.”

“No.”

That’s when Bella turned to look at him, her emotions telling her he needed more of a connection, or that she did, though she guessed in reality it was both of them. His eyes were so different in moments like these, softer than she knew eyes could be. Jacob’s feelings were open and clearly on display, his eyes showing the depth of his love and devotion. He was hiding nothing now. If it were anyone else, Bella would have dropped her gaze, but with him she was drawn in closer, wanting more.

“Our imprint bond was formed a long time ago, Bells. I think from the first time I saw you when I was a kid.”

“You were three!”

“I know, but I was drawn to you right away. You felt it, too. I know you did.”

Bella opened her mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“It was why I always felt like a part of me was missing when you weren’t there. I only felt whole when you came to stay with Charlie during the summer. He always brought you over with him…I mean you were closer to my sisters’ age than mine…. but we always gravitated toward each other.”

“I felt safe with you.” Bella admitted.

Jacob tightened his hold on her hand and leaned forward, his expression earnest. “It was the reason I was so excited when I heard you were coming to live with Charlie permanently. It was like all my birthdays coming at once. We go on really well, there was no awkwardness, even though we had been separated for years.”

“I know.” Bella felt tears glazing her eyes.

“It was why I felt able to share the old legends with you that day on the beach, even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to.”

Bella nodded, her tears spilling over.

“It was the reason I managed to circumnavigate Sam’s orders and come to see you.”

“He was worried what happened to Emily could happen to me.” Bella guessed. Now she had an insight into Sam’s mindset at the time, it all made perfect sense why he would try and force Jacob to keep away from her until he was more in control of himself.

“Yes.”

“But why is this imprint different to Sam and Emily’s?” Bella’s mind was a surging perplexity as she questioned him. Their relationship was confusing enough as it was, and now she found they had some mystical, wolfy connection between the two of them that Jacob claimed had formed when they were children.

“Because I was always supposed to be the Alpha.” Jacob blurted out. “It means I get to choose. And I chose you. I chose you before I even knew what it all meant. I love you. I always have.”

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


	14. Understanding

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Fourteen-Understanding **

After Jacob’s impassioned declaration an awkward silence fell between them. Bella’s brain was a violent whirl of activity as she tried to organise the chaos in her head. She knew Jacob was waiting for her to say something profound but as usual words failed her when she needed them the most. All that came out was a lame- “I’m so confused right now.”

Jacob gave her a strained smile. “I can work with confused.” He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I know this is a lot to take in. I hadn’t planned on dumping this on you all at once. But Leah….” He shrugged, sighing.

“Are you angry with her for telling me?” Bella asked.

“Yes and no.” Jacob bowed his head slightly. “I mean she got the worst end of the stick. She puts on a brave face for her mom’s sake. She’s going to be a bridesmaid.”

“Poor Leah.” Bella murmured. “Poor Sam. Poor Emily.”

“It’s a tragic situation for all of them.” Jacob agreed.

Bella fell silent again as she tried to wrap her head around this mystical wolfy connection she shared with Jacob. Their relationship was confusing enough as it was, it had always been hard to define. She had decided she didn’t need any more of the supernatural than she already had to deal with. But it seemed it came looking for her anyway.

“I need some time to absorb all this, Jake.” She said eventually. “Can you give me that?”

“Yeah.” Jacob put on a fake smile to hide his pain from her. The reason he did this was because he didn’t want to worry her or put any unnecessary pressure on her. “Whatever you need.”

Bella wasn’t fooled in the slightest. His pain was her pain. It seemed like it had always been that way. She took his hand and wrapped both of hers around it. “Let’s just put the serious stuff aside for the rest of the weekend and just be Jake and Bells. What do you say?”

Jacob’s smile was more genuine this time. “I like that idea.” He admitted. He settled closer to her, so that he was leaning against her arm. He was so warm. After a minute Bella shrugged off her jacket and curled up against him. Jacob made a little contented sound in the back of his throat, and rested his cheek on top of her head.

Bella could feel his heat soaking pleasurably through her skin. “I miss the old days. Do you remember that moronic movie I took you to?”

Jacob laughed. “The one where that Newton guy puked over everything.”

Bella laughed, too, surprised how time had changed the memory. It used to be one of stress, of confusion. So much had changed that night. It was the last night she and Jacob had before he’d learned the truth about his heritage. The last human memory. An oddly pleasant memory now considering how complicated everything got afterwards.

“You called Mike a marshmallow.”

“He was a marshmallow.” Jacob chuckled. “I remember so badly wanting to impress you.”

Bella glanced up at him. “You never needed to impress me. You already did. Or do.” She felt herself blushing and feeling suddenly shy. She quickly averted her gaze in case Jacob noticed her odd reaction to him, but of course he did.

“Just admit it, Bells.” He teased, gently poking her in the side. “I give you butterflies.”

“You really need to do something about that huge ego of yours.” Bella retorted, fighting off a smile.

There was a warm glow of happiness in his eyes as he looked at her. His answering smile was like a ray of sunshine. “Thanks for being so cool about everything, Bells.” Hie eyebrows pulled down slightly. “I didn’t keep this from you deliberately. I was working up to telling you…but then the whole Italy thing happened and _he_ came back.”

The stress spread through Bella’s mind like ink on paper as she thought about Edward. She didn’t want to even picture his reaction if he ever found out. She was just glad that he couldn’t read her mind. “We better head back. Charlie will be wondering where I’ve disappeared off to again.”

“And I don’t want to get on the Chief’s bad side.” Jacob joked. He stood and pulled her up with him. He moved closer with those incredibly expressive eyes of his that looked so deeply into her own. “We’re okay. You and me?”

Bella’s breathing became softer, her pensive look melting into a smile as soft as the morning light. Her body squirmed just a little as her muscles relaxed. “We’re okay, Jake.” She said. “I promise.”

* * *

Bella was having trouble sleeping. She lay in the dark in the twin’s old room, her mind a futile tussle of conflicting thoughts. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a really good night’s sleep. When she was younger, before she moved back to Forks to live with Charlie, she used to be the kind of person who slept all night and well into the morning. Bella wished she could go back to those days, days when the most she had to worry about was whether Renee was going to get fired from her latest job. Now there was a tenseness to her muscles that made her more like a mannequin on the soft mattress than a woman of flesh and bone. She wanted so much to melt onto the soft foam, wrapped in eider-down, and drift into the world of dreams. Yet her brain remained a violent whirl of stupidity, trying to organize the chaos in her life…as if that were remotely possible.

The door to her room edged open slightly, letting in a small spill of light from the hallway. Jacob poked his head in and looked at her in concern. “I can hear you thinking all the way in the other room.” He had given up his bed for Charlie and was sleeping on the old couch.

“I’ve got too much on my mind.” Bella sighed, wondering how he always seemed to know. The mystical wolfy connection she supposed. “I’ll try and stop thinking.”

“That’s like asking the sun not to rise in the morning.” Jacob quipped as he stepped further into the room. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“K.’” Jacob began to retreat. “You know where I am if you need me.” He was just about to close the door and leave when Bella called him back. “Yeah?” He asked.

Bella hesitated for a second, a strange fluttering sensation beginning in her stomach, which oddly felt like the butterflies Jacob was talking about earlier that evening. “Um…I was thinking it must be awfully uncomfortable sleeping on that couch…with you being so tall and everything.”

“Its only for one night.” Jacob shrugged.

“Well there are two beds in here.” Bella continued nervously as she pointed to the other twin bed in the room. “I mean…you could sleep there…if you wanted to that is.”

Jacob raised his eyebrows in surprise at her suggestion. “And you’d be okay with that?” He checked.

Bella rolled her eyes. “Duh! As long as you can put up with my loud thinking.”

“I’m not worried about your thinking. It’s your snoring that I’m more concerned about.” Jacob laughed quietly.

“Go back to the couch.” Bella ordered.

“Nope!” Jacob said, popping the P. He bounded over to the other bed and threw himself down on it. The bedframe creaked alarmingly in protest. He shot Bella a huge grin and rolled onto his back, putting his hands behind his head. He was still too long for the bed, his legs and feet dangled off the end, but at least it was way more comfortable than the couch. “Night, Bells.”

“Humpf!” Bella grouched as she pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes.

* * *

After spending so many restless nights tossing and turning and unable to sleep, Bella woke the next morning feeling fully rested. She wondered about this as she carefully rolled onto her side and looked across at Jacob in the other bed. His features were much softer in sleep, the lines that usually creased his brow replaced by the youthful appearance that matched those of others his age. He looked peaceful. Bella felt an odd yearning consume her as she found herself wanting nothing more than to join him and curl up into the curve of his body. She had thrown the covers back and was about to place her feet on the floor when she realised what she was doing.

“Get a grip, Bella.” She scolded herself under her breath as she turned around to face the opposite wall and pulled the covers up over her shoulder.

From across the room Jacob wasn’t as oblivious to the world as Bella thought. He opened his eyes slightly as a smirk crossed his face. He had heard everything.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Please review._ **


	15. Shock

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Fifteen-Shock **

“It was a fun weekend wasn’t it, kiddo.” Charlie mused as he dumped their bags in the hallway after returning from La Push. “It’s just a pity it was over so fast.”

“Yeah.” Bella replied distractedly. Her gaze was focused on the staircase leading up to her bedroom. She knew who would be waiting for her inside.

“You and Jake all good now?” Charlie checked.

Bella’s face softened when he mentioned Jacob. “Don’t stress, Dad. Jake and I are fine.”

Charlie relaxed enough to smile. “That’s great. We should invite him and Billy over for dinner next weekend to say thank you.”

“Only as long as you stay out of the kitchen and let me do the cooking.” Bella teased. “Your last attempt was less than stellar.”

“Fine by me.” Charlie laughed. “Do you want help taking your bags up?”

“No.” Bella said hastily. “I’m all good.” She glanced reluctantly towards the staircase again, knowing she couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. She gave Charlie a weak smile as she grabbed her bags and slowly began to climb the stairs.

* * *

Edward was standing by the window with his back to her when Bella entered her bedroom. She tensed, waiting for his fury, but when it didn’t come, she felt confused. “So, I’m back.” She declared lamely.

Edward slowly turned to face her. He smiled at her, his whole posture radiating calm, which left Bella feeling more bewildered than ever. There was no friction in the air between them as he walked over and embraced her. He cradled her against his chest. “I missed you.” He murmured in his velvet voice. His fingers knotted in her hair as he sought her lips to kiss.

Bella held still and her breathing became uneven as his cold lips skated over hers before leaving and pressing a soft kiss just under her jaw. “I’m glad you came back. Welcome home.”

“Um…. thanks.” Bella didn’t know why his apparent calm was making her feel so uneasy. She felt like he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security, but then felt guilty for thinking he would be so devious. “I thought you would still be annoyed with me.” She said hesitantly.

“I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last couple of days.” Edward’s arms tightened around her as he spoke. “And I’ve come to the conclusion I was wrong to act the way I did. Its much easier to have proper perspective when I have you safely here.”

“Where is all this tolerance coming from?” Bella asked suspiciously. “I spent the whole weekend in La Push and now you’re suddenly okay with that.”

Edward let out an exasperated sigh. “I decided that you were right. My problems before was more about my…. prejudice against werewolves than anything else.”

“You mean one werewolf in particular.”

“Look, Bella, this has always been about your safety. I’m trying to be reasonable and trust your judgement. If you say its safe, then I’ll believe you.”

“Wow.” Bella didn’t hide the sarcasm in her voice. “So, I finally have your permission.”

Edward’s jaw tensed as he tried not to lose his patience. “That’s not what I’m doing. Don’t wilfully misunderstand me, Bella. I’m not about to let Jacob Black drive a wedge between us.”

“I think the wedge was there long before Jake became an issue.” Bella retorted. She was in a resentful mood and couldn’t understand why. After suppressing her feelings about the way Edward treated her for so long, she had reached the breaking point of her patience with him. He really could be an arrogant ass. He really thought he was doing her a favour by suddenly being so reasonable about her spending time in La Push. It was just another attempt at manipulation-twisting everything around to make himself look like the rational one.

Edward noted the tension in her body. He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’re just tired, Bella. You should sleep.”

“For fu….” Bella took a deep breath to calm her temper. The last thing she needed was for Charlie to overhear her blowing her stack. She lowered her voice. “I am not tired, Edward. I’m aggravated.”

Edward was still for a moment, controlling whatever reaction he didn’t want her to see. After a minute when he was more composed, he put his arms back around her and crushed her gently to his chest. “Whatever I did to upset you. I’m very sorry.” He apologised contritely.

Bella sighed and tried to relax, but the tension just wouldn’t leave her. Now she had opened the Pandora’s box of her anger, she couldn’t close it again. “I can’t. I just can’t…” She said, shaking her head as she pushed him away.

“Can’t what?” Edward reached for her face and held it between his ice-cold hands. “For once I wish I could read your mind.” He said in frustration. “I need to know what you’re thinking.”

“I’m glad you can’t.” Bella carefully moved his hands away from her face. “You might not like what I’m thinking right now.”

“Which is?” Edward couldn’t quite conceal his anxiety.

Bella rested her gaze on his handsome face, but just briefly, the sorrow already building. “I’m thinking that I wish you had never come back.”

* * *

_“Knew the signs, wasn't right_

_I was stupid for a while_

_Swept away by you_

_And now I feel like a fool_

_So, confused_

_My heart's bruised.”_

Bella was so lost in the music that she didn’t hear Charlie come into her room after spending the last few minutes knocking on her bedroom door. She was lying on her bed, ear buds stuck firmly in her ears, while she listened to the same lyrics over and over again on repeat. When she saw his face suddenly looming over hers, she let out a very unladylike squeal of surprise.

“You scared me half to death!” She accused, yanking the earbuds out of her ears. “Why didn’t you knock?”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “I did. You didn’t hear me because you had those stupid things stuck in your ears.” He answered irritably. “Phone.”

“Who is it?” Bella sighed.

“Alice.”

“I’m out.” Bella stuffed the earbuds back in her ears and closed her eyes to block out Charlie’s impatient glare. He shook his head, grumbling under his breath about moody teenage daughters as he left the room. When she was sure he was gone, Bella cranked up the music.

_“So much hurt, so much pain_

_Takes a while to regain_

_What is lost inside_

_And I hope that, in time_

_You'll be out of my mind_

_And I’ll be over you.”_

* * *

Bella ignored the phone when it began to ring again, just like she ignored all the messages on her cell from Alice and Edward. She made herself some breakfast but her appetite evaporated. She grimaced and dumped it in the trash and went to wash up the dishes. With Charlie outside tidying up the backyard, Bella decided to put on some angry music while she washed up, to drown out the chaos going on inside her head.

_“There's only hate, there's only tears_

_There's only pain, there is no love here_

_So, what will you do?_

_There's only lies, there's only fears_

_There's only pain, there is no love here_

_Broken down like a mirror smashed to pieces_

_You learned the hard way to shut your mouth and smile_

_If these walls could talk, they would have so much to say_

_'Cause every time you fight the scars are gonna heal_

_But they're never gonna go away.”_

“Bella!” Charlie bellowed to make himself heard above the loud music. “Turn that crap down!”

“No!” Bella yelled back at him as easy tears sprang into her eyes. She stormed toward the stairs.

“That’s not very attractive behaviour, Bella.” Charlie called after her as he switched off the music. “What is wrong with you?”

“Mind your own business!” Bella retorted.

Charlie frowned, feeling completely stumped by his daughter’s odd behaviour. She seemed pissed off about something, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. She was moody, biting his head off for no discernible reason. She was ignoring phone calls from Alice Cullen and listening to sad and angry music about relationship breakups….

A light bulb went off over Charlie’s head and he grinned. “You listen to all the angry music you want, kiddo.” He muttered as he switched the CD player back on and turned up the volume.

* * *

Bella knew the laundry was building up, so after she had cleaned her teeth and put the toothpaste away, she threw her dirty clothes in the hamper and went to strip Charlie’s bed. She left his sheets in a pile at the top of the stairs and went to get hers. She paused beside her bed, looking at it, puzzled.

Where was her pillow?

She turned in a circle, scanning the room. No pillow. She also noticed her room was oddly tidy. Hadn’t her grey sweatshirt been on the floor near the window when she had thrown it at Edward the night before when she demanded he leave. And she could swear there had been a pair of dirty socks draped over the back of the rocking chair, along with the fancy red blouse Alice had gifted her, but which she had never worn because it made her look like a blood stain. She spun around again, her hamper wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t overflowing the way she thought it had been.

Was Charlie doing laundry? That was out of character.

Bella ran down the stairs, yelling above the loud music to make herself heard. She thought she had turned it off. “Dad, did you do the wash?” She stopped short when she reached the kitchen to find her father swaying back and forth playing air guitar. “What are you doing?”

Charlie startled at her sudden appearance. He cleared his throat in embarrassment and quickly switched off the CD player. “Nothing.” He mumbled, his cheeks growing warm. “What did you say?”

“I asked if you did the wash.” Bella said again.

“Um, no.” Charlie mumbled, looking guilty. “Did you want me to?”

“No, I got it. Were you looking for anything in my room?”

“No. Why?”

“I can’t find…a shirt…”

“I haven’t been in there.”

“Oh.” Bella wandered back up the stairs to check again. She knew she was probably being paranoid, but it seemed like that wasn’t the only piece of clothing that was missing. It was a mystery.

Finally giving up, she ripped the sheets off her bed and headed for the laundry closet, grabbing Charlie’s on the way down. The washing machine was empty. She checked the dryer, too, half expecting to find a washed load waiting for her. Nothing.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Charlie asked as he passed her on his way to the living room.

“Not yet.”

Bella put the washing on and went back upstairs to search under her bed. Nothing but dust bunnies. She really needed to hoover under there more often, she decided, she’d been slacking off on the cleaning front. The doorbell rang, distracting her from her search.

“Door.” Charlie yelled up the stairs.

Bella froze, worried it might be Edward or Alice. She tripped her way down the stairs to stop Charlie answering it. But she was too late, he had already pulled it open. “Hey, Jake.” He said in greeting.

“Hey, Charlie. Bells in?”

Bella let out the breath she didn’t realise she had been holding. She smiled in relief as Charlie stood aside to let Jacob in. “Hi, Jake.”

“Hi.”

“Do you want a drink, Jake?” Charlie offered.

“I’d like a soda.”

“Bells?”

“No thanks.” Bella was about to gesture for Jacob to come further into the hallway, when he grabbed her hand and pulled her back outside with him. She was about to protest, when she got a good look at his face. His eyes were wide, his nostrils flared as if he was smelling something very unpleasant. “What is it?” She asked in alarm.

“I smell vampire.” Jacob said harshly. “And its not the Cullens.”

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Please review._ **


	16. The Truth Comes Out

** Epiphany  **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belon to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Sixteen-The Truth Comes Out **

Bella stood frozen on the doorstep as Jacob went back inside the house and went up the stairs. He moved so stealthily that Charlie was unaware that he had even passed. He was back before Bella had a chance to have a full-on panic attack.

As soon as he saw the fear in her eyes, he put his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. “Its going to be alright, Bells.”

“Victoria?” Bella’s face paled as her mind immediately conjured up the worst-case scenario.

“Its not a scent I recognise.”

In the grip of silent panic, Bella’s heart began to race as she considered the only other possibility. If it wasn’t Victoria or one of the Cullens, that only left the Volturi. She could feel the panic building like an unstoppable snowball in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think straight. Bella felt trapped between two evils, with no chance of escape. The fact that the unknown vampire must have been in the house while she and Charlie were sleeping was terrifying. Edward certainly hadn’t detected anything before she had sent him packing. Perspiration broke out on her skin and her heart felt like it was going to explode.

Jacob could literally smell Bella’s fear as well as sense it. He put his arms around her carefully. His embrace was warm, and his big, strong arms seemed very protective when wrapped around her frail body. The world around Bella melted away as she squeezed him back, not wanting to ever leave the security of his embrace.

“I’ll never let anything happen to you, Bells. I promise. You don’t have to be afraid.” Jacob promised as he kissed the top of her head.

Bella strained her vocals but nothing came out. She looked up at him in despair, knowing that she was finally going to have to fill in the missing gaps about what had happened in Italy. She couldn’t live in denial anymore. Suddenly, Bella’s body wracked with raw sobs and she shook like a leaf. Fright consumed every cell in her body, swelling them with terror. With every second she practically felt the rise of her blood pressure, but she knew that this was the least of her worries.

“Jake, there’s something I have to tell you…” She choked out.

“What is it?” Jacob’s tone was full of concern for her which just made Bella feel even worse for keeping the full truth from him in the first place.

Before she had a chance to open her mouth again, they were interrupted by Charlie who had brought Jacob his soda. “What are you both doing out here?” His expression abruptly changed when he saw Jacob’s arms around his daughter. He grinned. “Don’t let me interrupt.”

Bella quickly buried her face against Jacob’s chest so Charlie wouldn’t see how distraught she was. Jacob began to make casual conversation with her father and Bella envied his ability to act so calm in the middle of a crisis. She knew he was doing it for her benefit, he was keeping Charlie engaged until she had time to compose herself.

After a few minutes had passed, Bella had just about managed to get her facial expressions under control when she felt Jacob tense, then a second later she heard Charlie mutter an oath under his breath. There was only one person who could invoke that reaction from both men. Feeling her panic beginning to rise again, Bella slowly raised her head from where it had been anchored against Jacob’s chest, only to have her worst fears confirmed when she heard the sound of Edward’s car racing down the street. The Volvo’s brakes protested loudly as he slammed to a stop outside the front of the house.

* * *

Tension grew in Bella’s face and limbs at Edward’s unexpected arrival. She caught a brief glimpse of the anger and betrayal on his face at seeing her in Jacob’s arms, before he quickly smoothed his features into an impassive expression. Jacob, on the other hand, wasn’t hiding his animosity. The usual warmth was missing from his eyes and the slight tremor in his body warned Bella that he was on the verge of losing his cool completely. To have a strange vampire roaming around the house was one thing, being confronted with another so soon after was testing his limits of self-control.

Thankfully, Charlie stepped in and took control of the situation when he noted the look on Jacob’s face. “I don’t want any fighting, do you understand me, boy?” He looked only at Edward as he spoke. “I can go get my badge if that makes my order more official.”

“That won’t be necessary, Charlie.” Edward answered in a restrained tone.

“That’s Chief Swan to you.” Charlie reminded him sharply.

Edward’s jaw pulsed with irritation. “I apologise, Chief Swan. I’ve just come to pick up Bella.”

“You are not taking my daughter anywhere. You understand? I will not have you trying to weasel your way back into her affections. She dumped you flat. Just accept it. Now clear off before I arrest you for speeding. I saw the way you came flying down the street.”

While Charlie continued to unleash hell on Edward, Bella found herself under the spotlight. Surprise was etched all over Jacob’s face as he took a minute to absorb the truth bomb that her father had just dropped. “Is that true, Bells? Did you break up with him?”

Bella’s thoughts began accelerating inside her head. She wanted them to slow so she could breathe but they wouldn’t. “Last night…I told him…I…”

Charlie was yelling now, completely drowning out Bella’s timid voice as he let out all of his pent-up fury on the boy who had emotionally abused his daughter. “And if you don’t stop hassling her, I’ll take out a restraining order against you. That won’t look too good on your precious college applications….”

Her father’s voice became background noise again as she became swept up in the look on Jacob’s face. Bella tilted her head slightly and without thinking Jacob tucked a lock of her shiny brunette hair behind her ear. “What did you tell him last night, Bella?” He prompted her.

Bella was finally able to find her voice again and suddenly she was talking. Talking like she didn’t have enough time to say what she needed to. Her words were crowded together and some were missing. Her sentences came out fragmented and her thoughts seemed to jump from one thing to another. All her fears came tumbling out unchecked by her brain, like she was in some kind of mental free-fall, unable to analyse things or assess risk. “I told him I wished he’d never come back…and he didn’t believe me…but I meant it. I meant every word…” She choked out. “I told him I would never…forgive him for the promise I was forced to make in Italy.”

Jacob was trying to get her to slow down. “Promise? What promise?”

“Don’t hate me, Jacob.” Bella pleaded.

Jacob tried to soothe her frazzled nerves but his words were bouncing off her like they were hard rain. Bella’s fingers were white-knuckled, holding onto his shirt and begging him to forgive her. Jacob told her yes, even though he wasn’t sure what he was forgiving her for. He told her over and over, stroking her back and planting kisses on her face to try and calm her down.

Bella’s head was a carousel of fears spinning out of control, each one pushing her mind into blackness. Every horror she had lived through in Italy was replaying in her mind. Sounds that were near felt far away, like she was no longer in the body that stood paralyzed in Jacob’s arms. The constant strain and effort of keeping everything inside was too much. It all came out, like molten lava from an erupting volcano. She wasn’t in control of anything in her life, including what came out of her mouth.

Right within earshot of Charlie, including a horrified Edward, Bella told Jacob that the Volturi had only let them go after extracting a promise that she would be turned into a vampire.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! I’m sorry it’s only a short chapter. But what a cliff hanger, LOL_ ** **_😉_ **


	17. Drowning

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Seventeen-Drowning **

As soon as the words left her mouth, Bella realised her mistake. Her heart began to race as she noticed everyone had fallen silent and she was suddenly under the spotlight. Bella’s eyes scanned their faces-Charlie’s confused, Edward’s horrified, and Jacob…frantic puffs of air left her mouth as she tried to resist the urge to flee.

“I’m so..sorry.” She stammered. She could see the fine tremors running up and down Jacob’s arms as he fought for control. Her revelation about the Volturi had pushed him over the edge.

Panicked thoughts began accelerating inside her head. She wanted them to slow so she could breathe but they wouldn’t stop. Her breaths came in gasps and she felt like she was going to black out. Her heart was hammering loudly inside her chest like it belonged to a rabbit running for its skin. Bella’s vision began to swim and her head spin and she was forced to squat on the floor before she fell down, trying to make everything slow to something her brain and body could cope with. She felt so sick. So afraid. She couldn’t look at any of them. Her heart was fit to bursting, almost like it wanted to break free from her chest, almost like she was having a heart attack….

Bella didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Her breath was gone…blackness…. creeping blackness…she was on the floor in a ball-foetal position. Everything spinning…. blackness…. then she was gone….

* * *

…. Bella’s eyes opened again when she heard the door unlock. She realised she was still on the porch of the house. Charlie was carrying her inside, struggling slightly as he tried to keep the door propped open at the same time. Finally, he managed to carry her through the door and to the sofa in the living room.

“Dad, what happened?” Bella asked feebly. She felt completely drained. She raised her hand, gingerly pressing her palm against her forehead. 

“You blacked out.” Charlie replied gruffly.

Comprehension dawned as her memories came flooding back. “Where’s Jake?” She searched the room for him but he was nowhere in sight. “Dad?”

“Jake’s taking care of business.” Charlie’s face was grim as he wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders.

Charlie’s words bounced off her like rubber bullets. She could tell by his harsh tone that taking care of business meant that Jacob had gone after Edward. Her head became a carousel of fears spinning out of control, fears for Jacob’s safety, and worry about what could happen if he broke the treaty if he really unleashed the full force of his anger on Edward because of what she had told him.

There was a gentle tap on the front door.

“That’ll be Dr, Gerandy.” Charlie revealed.

“You called the Doctor?”

“I had to. You were in such a state. I haven’t seen you this bad since…” Charlie’s complexion turned grey as he fought against the bad memories of his daughter’s zombie days. He shook his head to clear it as he went to answer the door.

* * *

“Hello, Bella.” Dr, Gerandy’s smile was warm as he greeted her.

Bella looked up at the grey-haired man leaning over her. “Are you hurt, Bella? Charlie tells me you had a bit of a fainting spell.”

“It was nothing.” Bella answered after a minute.

“Maybe you should let me be the judge of that.” Dr, Gerandy’s warm hand touched her forehead, and his fingers pressed against the inside of her wrist. She watched his lips purse slightly as he counted to himself, his eyes on his watch. He paused in his counting, his grizzled eyebrows shooting up in surprise when he noted the silvery scars from James’ bite marring the creamy skin on the underside of the wrist he was holding. “What’s this?” He asked Bella.

“That’s nothing.” Bella said hastily as she jerked her wrist away and closed her other hand around it.

“It looks like a bite mark.” Dr, Gerandy frowned. “Even though it’s healed, I can still see the teeth impressions.”

“Bite mark?” Charlie questioned sharply. “What are you talking about?”

“The one on your daughter’s left wrist.”

Charlie marched over to Bella and demanded to see for himself. Bella shook her head, her eyes begging him to leave it alone. But Charlie wasn’t going to be fobbed off this time, especially after what he had overheard her say to Jacob. He hadn’t had time to process any of it after she collapsed on him. But Dr, Gerandy’s discovery had brought it back to the forefront of his mind.

“Let me see your wrist, Bella.” He said sternly.

“Please don’t make a big deal out of this, Dad.”

Charlie ignored her plea. He caught hold of her left hand and turned it palm upward, his keen eyes tracing the narrow thread of silver scars covering her pale flesh. The outline was definitely similar to a human bite mark. Charlie’s eyes met Bella’s and she froze at the ferocity shining in them. She tasted panic in the back of her throat, knowing there was no way she could deny what had happened to her now. This was all the evidence Charlie needed to confirm that what he had overheard outside had to be true.

* * *

Dr, Gerandy probed gently against the glands under her jaw. Behind him, Charlie’s face remained hard as he waited impatiently for the doctor to finish his examination.

“Do you feel tired?” Dr, Gerandy asked Bella.

Bella nodded and closed her eyes obediently, hoping she could put off the impending conversation with Charlie for as long as possible.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her.” Dr, Gerandy confided to Charlie. “Just exhaustion. Let her sleep it off, and I’ll come check on her tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Charlie answered curtly. “Thanks for coming at such short notice.”

“You’re welcome, Charlie. About that bite?” Dr, Gerandy began.

“Don’t concern yourself about that, John. I’ll speak to Bella about that.” Charlie cut in. He motioned toward the door.

“If you’re sure.”

There was a creaking sound from the floorboards as the men left the room, their voices fading as Charlie showed the doctor out of the house. Bella didn’t want to listen anymore. She felt around for the edge of the blanket and pulled it over her head.

Time passed. Bella didn’t know how often she drifted in and out of alertness. She felt gentle fingers on her forehead, and then the weight of another blanket. The phone rang a few times, and she heard Charlie’s quick footsteps as he hurried to catch it before it could wake her. Once the sound of his raised voice disturbed her slumber-he was arguing-from the cryptic one-sided responses she could hear, it was possibly Billy.

More hours passed. As she reached wakefulness, she heard the springs in Charlie’s recliner groan when he settled himself in for the night. A few minutes later the phone rang again. Charlie moaned as he struggled to his feet, and then he rushed, stumbling to the kitchen. Bella pulled her head deeper under the blankets, not wanting to listen, she just wanted to go back to sleep and not think, not feel.

“What the fuck?” Charlie exclaimed on his end of the phone.

His loud voice pierced Bella’s stupor. She slowly peeled the blankets back from her face as she listened intently.

“Where?” Charlie demanded. There was a pause. “You’re sure its outside the reservation? But what could be burning out there?” He sounded extremely worried now. “Look, I’ll call down there now and check it out.”

Bella felt like invisible hands were squeezing the breath out of her body. An equally ghostly hypodermic of adrenaline pierced her heart, unloading in an instant. She felt her ribs heaving as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate her lungs. She strained her ears as she listened to Charlie dialling Billy’s number.

“Billy, it’s me.” Charlie lowered his voice, making it harder for Bella to hear what he was saying. She was forced to leave the comfort of the sofa and creep to the door so she could listen in to the tense conversation. “Yes, Bella’s fine. She’s still sleeping. Listen to me. I just got a call from Mrs Stanley, and she says that from her second story window she can see fires out on the cliffs, but I didn’t- “Suddenly there was an edge to his voice. “What the hell is going on? Are Jake and the boys alright?” He paused again for what seemed like an eternity. “Uh huh. Really?” There was a grim tone of satisfaction in his voice now as he spoke. “Yeah, just make sure the flames don’t spread…I know, I know. Just keep me informed, okay.”

Bella tried to pull apart what she could understand of the one-sided conversation. Instead of sounding pissed at Billy like he had earlier, Charlie sounded much calmer. It almost sounded like they were in league with one another, like a plan they had cooked up together had come to fruition. None of it made any sense.

“Thanks for sending Sam and the other boys up. You were right. About everything. Now’s not the time to hold grudges. Okay, let me know when Jake gets back. I owe him…. I owe all of you…Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.” Charlie said, before hanging up the phone.

As he turned to go back to the living room, he jumped when a white-faced Bella stepped out in the hall in front of him. “You’re awake.” He said, stating the obvious.

“You were talking to Billy.”

Charlie frowned. “How much did you overhear?” He asked cautiously.

“Enough to make me freak the hell out.” Bella admitted shakily. “What’s going on, Dad? What have you done?”

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Please review_**.


	18. The Police Chief of Forks

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much for the kind reviews on the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Eighteen-The Police Chief of Forks **

“I did what needed to done.” Charlie answered gravely.

“What does that even mean?” Bella demanded. There were times she felt like the world was slowly disappearing in front of her. Now was one of those times. She didn’t understand what was happening. “Where’s Jake? I don’t….”

“Stop it, Bella!” Charlie cut in harshly. “You cannot keep falling apart all the time.”

“You don’t know what I’ve been through.” Bella protested.

“How could I when I was kept in the dark about everything!” Charlie grabbed hold of her shoulders and forced her to look at him when she tried to turn away. He shook her a little as she literally froze in front of him. “Look what they did to you, Bells.” He continued gruffly. “Where’s my strong-willed daughter gone? The damn Cullens did this to you. If not for your connection to Jake then I feel you would have lost yourself completely.”

Bella felt like she was fading away. She felt the old gaping wound rip open again in her chest. Her heart slammed against her ribs so hard it was painful. And the void. The black hole inside her head, deep inside her soul, slowly swallowing all her hopes and dreams. That was the worst of those moments. The realization of the vacuum, the nothingness, the emptiness inside. She sagged against Charlie as she experienced a sudden epiphany.

“You’re saying being around the Cullens was sucking the life out of me.”

“Yes.”

Bella stayed rooted to the spot as she gazed up at her father’s serious face. Slowly, the panic and anxiety attack flowed away, and yet she still shook as she listened to him talk.

“When Billy was forced to finally reveal the truth to me after what I overheard you telling Jake, it became so obvious to me. The Cullens many not have bled you dry but they still sucked the life out of you. You changed after you started hanging around that son of a bitch. You became like a meek version of yourself, just living to please him. When he and his damn coven left, you fell apart like a broken marionette without the puppeteer to pull your strings. It was awful seeing you so low. But, slowly, your friendship with Jake brought you back to life. You were getting better until he came back, bringing his cursed family with him. Now look at you! Bells, you are in as bad a state emotionally and physically as you were when he left the first time.”

Bella’s eyes fell to her shaking hands, knowing full well that her father was right. The mental and physical anguish she had suffered as a result of Edward’s abrupt departure from her life had been the same as a drug addict going cold turkey. All those months lost in mourning. All those times afterwards spent nearly trying to destroy herself until Jacob had brought her back from the brink.

“Did Billy tell you about my connection to Jake?” She faltered.

“He hasn’t elaborated on it much. There hasn’t been time. A lot has happened.” Charlie’s brows drew down. “I lost my shit when he told me what had really been going on right under my nose. I was struggling to believe him until I saw the bitemark on your wrist….” He closed his eyes briefly and gulped in a huge breath. “I was so angry…but he’s right…now is not the time to hold grudges. After the bombshell you dropped on Jake, we needed to act fast.”

Bella’s stomach dropped when she heard this. She was still in the dark about what had happened. She now realised what it must have felt like to be in Charlie’s shoes. “What happened?” She asked fearfully.

“They got her.”

Bella’s heart rate quickened as she stared at her father in disbelief. “Got who?” She whispered, even though she knew he meant Victoria. “How?” She found it impossible that the vicious red head who had been plaguing her life for so long could have been caught. What had changed?

“You know who.” Charlie said grimly. “And as for how…all it took was some foresight and careful planning. And for the wolf pack to stop adhering to an old treaty that has no relevance in today’s world.”

* * *

Charlie passed Bella the coffee before lowering himself down into the vacant chair opposite her. They had retreated to the kitchen after his surprising revelation. Bella clutched the warm mug in her hands and took a fortifying sip of the hot liquid as she tried to steady her nerves.

“It was Jake who surmised that the strange vampire rooting around our house when we were asleep must be connected to the one who has been hunting you all this time. He didn’t think it had anything to do with those Volturi creatures I overheard you talking about. He guessed if it was one of them, then they would have probably taken you and killed me if the end game was to make sure you were changed.”

Bella nodded and gulped down more coffee as she realised the logic behind Jake’s conclusion. Like always she had been too quick to jump to the worst-case scenario instead of taking the time to think things through properly.

“After sharing his conclusion with the others, they were all in agreement.”

“How do you know all this?” Bella interrupted. “I mean you were with me the whole time. Weren’t you?”

“I was here…” Charlie hedged. “And so were they.”

“What?” Bella nearly choked on her coffee.

“Billy didn’t just send Sam and the others up to join Jake and me when he found out that I knew. He came with them. He wanted to see me face to face so he could explain. While you were asleep inside, we had a tense meeting outside where you couldn’t hear us. While Billy and I had it out with each other, Sam and the other protectors were safeguarding the house. “

Bella couldn’t believe she had missed all this. She felt numb as the tears gathered in her eyes. She felt useless and a burden. While everyone was risking their lives on her behalf, she had been sleeping off yet another panic attack like the coward she was.

“I won’t bore you with the semantics. Billy and I eventually reached an understanding. I finally diverted my anger in the right direction and tried to figure out how to deal with your red headed stalker.” He paused and rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. “After putting our heads together, we came up with a plan-we worked out that the red head’s forays into La Push and the surrounding areas always started from the same place-the sea. It was how she got in and how she always made her escape.”

Bella tried to breathe calmly as she listened to her father speak.

“I wondered why Jake and the others weren’t staking out the beaches along the coastline if they knew the red head was using them as a way to sneak onto their lands. That was when the conversation about that damn treaty happened. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing when Billy explained to me about the deal his ancestors had made with the Cullen’s. Worse still, I couldn’t believe they were still sticking to it and the boundaries that had been put in place. I argued the world had moved on since then and what worked for the old pack didn’t work for the new. I could tell by Jake’s face that he’d had this same argument with his father and the elders of the tribe before.”

Bella was seeing Charlie in a whole new light. She had never seen him so animated before. He was always so cautious around her because she constantly made him walk on eggshells out of respect for her fragile feelings, but she imagined he must be a different man at work. He didn’t hold the position of police chief for nothing. A new wave of respect for the man who had sired her coursed through Bella. Charlie had literally worked his way through the information dump that had been landed on him about the supernatural, and was working his way through it calmly and methodically, not acting like a hysterical maiden in distress like she was. Bella felt thoroughly ashamed of herself.

“Anyway, to cut a long story short, and after another tense debate, it was decided that the treaty was going to be revoked. The Cullens had broken it by agreeing to….to _change you_.” Charlie swallowed thickly, clearly having difficulty coming to terms with his daughter’s initial decision to end her life just so she could live an eternity with Edward. Bella’s face flushed and she was unable to meet his eyes. “That’s a conversation for another day.” He growled.

“Dad, I’m so…”

“I don’t want apologies now, Bella.” Charlie muttered. “Just let me finish what I’ve got to say.”

Bella’s heart twisted with anguish as she nodded her head in agreement. “Okay.” She said faintly.

Charlie sighed again. “So that’s what they did. The pack staked out the coastline. And lo and behold the red head made an appearance right on cue. And she wasn’t alone. She met up with an accomplice, who happened to be carrying the same red blouse that you told me had mysteriously gone missing. A warning signal went up from one of the wolves as soon as she was spotted and they immediately congregated together, working as a team to take her down. Without the worry of stupid boundaries holding them back, they ventured onto Cullen territory and surrounded her and the male accomplice…and well… you can guess the rest.”

“That’s the reason behind the fires….” Bella breathed.

“The bonfires weren’t only set to dispose of the redhead and her companion’s remains, but as a warning signal to the Cullens. If they don’t leave, they’re next.” Charlie replied grimly.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Jake will be back in the next chapter I promise. Please review._ **


	19. A Peaceful Interlude

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much for reading and reviewing the last chapter_**.

** Chapter Nineteen-Peaceful Interlude **

Bella sat quietly in her room and reflected on everything that Charlie had told her. She couldn’t believe that her nemesis Victoria was dead. After so many months of living in anxiety ridden fear, it was hard to comprehend it was all over. It was even harder to fathom that it was her own father’s intervention that had played such a huge part in Victoria’s capture. Bella realised she had wasted so much time consumed with anxious thoughts, that it was akin to driving around the block over and over, faster and faster. It was all pointless. All she needed to do was stop. Calm her thoughts enough so she could think clearly. She owed it to herself to take control of the wheel.

It was late evening when Jacob and his father arrived at the house. As Bella ran outside to greet them, the air was damp and cool, smelling faintly of a car's exhaust fumes. A light rain was falling as the sun dipped lower in the sky until the trees that lined the road stood as black statues silhouetted against the darkening sky, their shadows slowly melting away into the blackness of night.

In the rain Jacob's hair became one with his face, wetly draped over the bone structure that often drove Bella mad with envy. His expression was serious. She wondered if he knew how crazy that made her, how it made her want to feel every inch of his skin. In the past she had allowed her inner worries and fears to stop her processing what she really felt for Jacob. After her recent epiphany she now felt able to express those feelings, to show him what he meant to her.

With Charlie and Billy looking on, Bella reached for Jacob’s hand and pulled him toward her. They stood toe to toe, gazing deep into each other’s eyes. No words were necessary. Jacob knew her well enough to understand what she was trying to say with just her eyes alone. Bella was the one who initiated the kiss. She stood on her tiptoes, one hand reaching behind his neck to pull his head closer to hers. Everything and everyone immediately melted away when their lips connected. For the kiss made them feel like they had been transported somewhere heavenly and perhaps if it weren't for the cold Forks rain, they might believe they actually had.

When the kiss ended, Jacob’s smile was one of happiness growing. Bella could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. It was beautiful and so was he. Jacob kissed the rain droplets from her lips. He swept her hair aside and kissed Bella just over the collarbone, making her breath hitch slightly.

The sound of Charlie clearing his throat made them pull apart. “Well now you’ve finished saying hello to Jake maybe we can head on inside.” He huffed.

* * *

“I ordered pizza.” Charlie said as he passed Billy a beer from the fridge and took one for himself.

“Good idea, chief.” Billy answered as he gave Charlie a meaningful look. “Maybe we can get the plates and let these two catch up.”

Charlie rolled his eyes as he grabbed the handles of Billy’s wheelchair and pushed him toward the kitchen.

Jacob chuckled as he ran his fingers through Bella’s wet hair. “You’re drenched.”

“You’re all wet, too.”

“But I’m not cold and you are.” Jacob murmured as his mouth hovered close to hers. Now she had voluntarily kissed him, he was desperate for more.

“You could always warm me up.” Bella teased lightly.

“Is that an invitation?”

Bella hung her fingers on the waistband of his jeans, dragging him closer. Jacob buried his face in the curve of her shoulder, his hands flexing around her back. He let out a reduced groan of, “I love you,” into her hair. “This is the happiest that I actually remember being in my life.”

Bella felt tears well in her eyes. She really didn’t deserve his love. She knew he was far too good for her, but she vowed to spend a lifetime trying to prove otherwise. “I love you, too.” She admitted for the first time.

The way Jacob’s lips lifted upward. The way his dimples crinkled. The way his teeth were so perfectly aligned as he smiled. The warm glow his happiness gave her. His smile was a ray of sunshine. He was reacting as if she had given him the most precious gift. “Say it again.” He whispered, his warm fingers caressing her cheek.

“I love you.”

“Again?”

“I love you, Jacob Ephraim Black.” Bella’s lips twitched as she tried to stifle her laughter. He was just too adorable for words.

* * *

Bella sat next to Jacob on the sofa. He began to untangle her hair and braid it while Charlie eyed them watchfully. Billy was highly amused by his friend’s overreaction and made several subtle digs about Charlie’s youthful exploits that sent the police chief’s skin blazing. He was saved by the doorbell. It was the pizza-the smell filled the room, making everyone feel ravenous as he carried it into the room. Bella was torn between the pizza and leaning against Jacob’s warm body.

“Your share is getting cold, Bells.” Charlie said sarcastically. “You should eat it now if you can manage to peel yourself away from Jacob for five minutes.” He was struggling to get used to this touchy-feely Bella. He thanked god for small mercies that she hadn’t been like that with Edward Cullen.

Bella felt like some tenuous string tied her to Jacob. She wondered if it had always been there, the imprint humming contentedly in the background, connecting them together like two pieces of the same puzzle. They fed each other slices of pizza, laughing quietly and kissing sloppily when the marinara sauce dribbled down their chin.

“Maybe you should tone it down a bit, kids.” Billy advised when he noticed Charlie becoming more and more uncomfortable.

“Sorry.” Jacob apologised, not looking sorry at all. He was buzzing with happiness. It had been a stressful and exhausting day, but with Bella returning his affections he was brimming with energy. “Bells, do you want to go for a walk?” He suggested as a way to escape the olds for a while.

“But its dark outside.” Charlie blustered.

“It’s all good, Charlie. I can see in the dark.” Jacob laughed.

“Of course, you can.” Charlie muttered irritably.

* * *

They didn’t walk far before kissing again. Bella felt Jacob’s warm breath on the sensitive skin of her neck, then the tender brush of his lips. Burning as they made contact with her neck. His fingers ran through her hair, his kisses becoming harder and more urgent. Jacob’s other hand slid around Bella’s waist, and pulled her close to his pine scented body. His kisses were now on her shoulders and in her hair.

“Jake.” Bella moaned softly.

“Mmmm…” Jacob mumbled distractedly.

“I want to see your wolf.”

Jacob pulled back abruptly, his dark brown eyes wide with surprise. “Why?”

“Because I want to thank him. He did save my life today.” Bella smiled shyly. “And I want to thank the others, too. I mean they’ll be able to hear and see me through your eyes. Well, the ones who are phased will.”

“I guess. But you know you don’t have to, right? They already know.”

“I want to.” Bella said earnestly. “Please, Jake.”

“K.’” Jacob said, shrugging.

Bella smiled in relief. If it had been Edward, she would have had a huge battle to allow her to do anything. Jacob didn’t put up a fight at all. He just let do it. It made her love him even more.

* * *

The moonlight was a diffuse ocean above them, lessening the inky blackness of the night, but not so bright as to dull the stars that speckled and glittered in the heavens above. Bella could feel her skin tingling with excitement. It had been a long time since she had seen Jacob in his wolf form. She watched in quiet anticipation as Jacob walked away from her into a thick grove of trees so he could phase.

Minutes later he was back. A small gasp left Bella’s parted lips as she stared at the magnificent creature standing in front of her. He was unbelievably huge. His fur was reddish brown and longer than she remembered. Bella was definitely sure that Jacob’s wolf was bigger than Sam’s now. His stance was casual, somehow exuding nonchalance.

Bella continued to stare up at him in awe. “Jake?” She could feel the wonder and fascination on her face.

The wolf’s muzzle fell open, pulling back over his teeth. It would have been a frightening expression, except that his tongue lolled out the side in a wolfy grin.

“Idiot.” Bella giggled.

The wolf’s grin widened over his sharp teeth. He moved closer and then crouched down on his front legs and dropped his head so that his face was no higher than hers. Bella tentatively reached her hand out, her fingers trembling slightly, and touched the red brown fur on the side of his face. The wolf’s back eyes closed, and he leaned his huge head into her hand. A thrumming resonated in his throat, which matched the thrumming of her heart.

“I want to thank you.” Bella said loudly. The wolf opened his eyes again and he looked at her keenly. She wasn’t just addressing Jacob, but all of the pack. “I can never express how grateful I am to all of you. You risked your lives to save mine and I can never hope to repay any of you.”

Tears glazed her eyes as she lowered her face into the wolf’s fur. It was both soft and rough, comforting and warm against her skin. She ran her fingers through it, learning the texture, stroking his neck where the colour deepened. Suddenly, without warning, Jacob licked her face from chin to hairline.

“Ew! Gross, Jake!” Bella complained, jumping back and smacking at him, just as she would have if he were in his human form. “They told you to do that, didn’t they?”

Jacob dodged out of the way and huffed out an affirmative laugh. It came out like a coughing bark through his teeth.

“Was I getting too emotional for them?” Bella smiled through her tears. She wiped her face on the sleeve of her shirt, unable to keep from laughing with him.

Jacob folded himself down on the ground, inviting her to snuggle up with him. Bella happily obliged. He put his head down on his paws and let out a rumbling sigh of contentment.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Please review._ **


	20. Kidnapped

** Epiphany  **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who stuck with this story over the long break. Sorry for the delay, RL has been kicking my butt lately. Anyway, onto the next chapter…._ **

** Chapter Twenty-Kidnapped **

Stars filled the sky like pale corn into freshly turned ground. It was the promise of life in the darkness, a sense of warmth springing from the cold. It was a vastness to bring humbleness and an eternal space to bring gratitude for the cosiness of home. A gentle breeze ruffled Bella’s hair as she continued to stare up at the night sky in silent contemplation. Jacob drew closer, pressing his warm fur against her left side.

“Thanks.” Bella murmured gratefully as she drank into his warmth.

After a few minutes, she adjusted her position and leaned against his wide shoulder. It was much more comfortable that way. The clouds above moved quickly across the night sky, dimming the bright stars as thick patches crossed the moon and passed on.

Absently, Bella began pulling her fingers through the thick fur on his neck. That same strange humming sound that he’d made before rumbled in his throat. It was a homey kind of sound. Rougher, wilder than a cat’s purr, but conveying the same sense of contentment.

“You know I never had a dog.” Bella mused aloud. “I always wanted one growing up, but Renee was allergic. Now I figure I have two rolled into one-a giant puppy and an awesome boyfriend. Not many girls can boast about that.”

Jacob laughed; his wolf’s body shook with the force of it.

Bella fell silent, her amusement fading as she began to worry about the future. “Jake, what are we going to do about Edward and the Cullens? They won’t go quietly. And the Volturi…” Her voice tailed off and she swallowed thickly as she tried to keep her shit together. She was tired of feeling so weak. Jacob needed a strong partner, not one who kept falling apart every time something went wrong.

He turned his enormous head toward her, so that she could see the reassurance in his dark eyes.

“I wish I could feel that positive.”

Jacob leaned his head against her leg and started humming again. And it did make her feel a lot better. Bella settled deeper into his fur, resting her head against his neck. It was strange. Even though he was in this bizarre form, this felt more like the way they used to be-the easy, effortless friendship that was as natural as breathing in and out-but now mixed with so much more.

Bella felt she could wrap herself up in his fur and sleep like a baby. His very presence was soothing to her soul. It had always been that way, she just wished she had recognised it sooner. Jacob was the soul mate she’d needed for so very long. Edward had broken her heart, but Jacob had pieced it back together. Jacob knew her flaws. All of them. And he loved her anyway. Nothing would change his love. He made her want to be a better person, to be good enough to deserve him. And she was determined to try. She was going to cherish him, keep him forever safe in her love.

* * *

The next morning brought with it a heavy downpour. Resigned to the fact that she was going to have to brave the terrible weather, Bella pulled on her sturdiest coat, raising the hood over her head as she headed outside. She was planning a romantic meal for Jacob. Charlie was on a night shift, so they would have the house all to themselves.

As she left the shelter of the front porch, water washed over her skin so strongly that it felt as if she was in the flow of a river rather than a rain shower. And so, the only thing she could do was to keep walking, doing her best to steer her way through the rain that had become like a living fabric. Despite how uncomfortable she felt, Bella couldn’t help but admire how the rain brought a richness to each hue, the browns deepening in a way that soothed her nerves. The grass was glossy, reflecting the light, a new bright shine to their wands, softly waving in the breeze. She raised her hand, tilting her face toward the sky, feeling the water run down her skin. Perhaps this was joy felt like, a happiness that feels pure, she decided.

Bella wished Jacob were there to share the feeling with her. If only she could bottle the memory and store it for later. Forks’ one store was only a few meters away. She only had to cross the road and she would be safe within its confines.

She never reached it…

Edward appeared out of the gloom, his face set and determined, as if he had been waiting for this exact opportunity to kidnap her. He swung her up in his strong arms as if she was nothing more than a ragdoll, putting one hand over her mouth to stifle the scream that was finding its way out of her throat. He carried her over to his car- an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish-a vehicle he only used on special occasions. Strapping Bella in tightly, he locked the passenger door, and was back sitting in the driver’s seat before she had time to expel her next breath.

* * *

Edward drove like a maniac. It was dark inside the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door, and Bella could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard. The tires squealed as he spun the car around violently. Bella clutched the seat with both hands in order to steady herself as she jerked forward in her seat. The belt strapped across her bit into her skin and she let out a small cry of pain. Edward took a sharp left, racing forward, ignoring all other traffic when he cut across their path.

Bella had seen him this riled up only once before, it was the night he had rescued her from her attackers in Port Angeles. Bella stared at his flawless features in the limited light, trying to get her breathing to return to normal, his expression was practically feral.

“Edward, you need to let me go.” She said, surprised at how steady her voice sounded.

“No.” Edward replied curtly, his tone was livid.

Bella sat in silence, watching his face while his blazing eyes stared straight ahead, and wondering what on earth she was going to do to escape this hellish situation she had found herself in. Edward didn’t seem capable of reasonable thought right now, any words of hers could push him further over the edge. The car came to a sudden stop. She glanced around, but the driving rain made it too dark to see anything beside the vague outline of dark trees crowding the roadside. They weren’t in town anymore.

“Bella?” Edward asked, his voice tight, controlled.

“Yes.” Bella whispered.

“Are you alright?” Edward didn’t look at her directly, but his anger was still plain to see.

Bella debated whether to just play along and pretend that everything was fine, but ultimately decided she was sick of playing his games. “No. I am far from alright.”

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Well, you did.”

Edward exhaled sharply. He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I was out of options.” He said hoarsely. “I didn’t know what else to do. I had no choice but to resort to this.”

“You kidnapped me!”

“I was securing your safety.”

“Bullshit!”

Edward groaned, leaning his head back against his seat, staring up at the ceiling of the car. His face was rigid. “Why do you continually have to make things so difficult? I try and try and still its never enough.”

“Let me go, Edward.” Bella tried to inject some authority into her tone. “Let me go before you make things worse.”

Edward clamped his teeth together as he started the engine again without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. They were under the streetlights in no time at all, still going too fast, weaving with ease through the traffic.

Bella began to relax now that he seemed to have seen sense. Her house was only a block away. “You’re doing the right thing, Edward.”

Edward’s face softened slightly as he glanced at her. “I love you, Bella.”

Bella let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “I don’t think it was ever love you felt for me, Edward. It was possession. Right from the beginning there was a power imbalance in our relationship. You kept saving me. Over and over again. I think you got addicted to it. It gave you an adrenaline rush. Made you feel like a hero. You stopped seeing me as a person, instead I became a possession, something for you to control in order to make yourself feel empowered.”

Edward stared at her, taking his eyes off the road completely. “You paint a very damning picture of me, Bella. Black has really infected your mind and your heart.”

“This has nothing to do with Jake.” Bella refuted hotly. “And everything to do with you.”

“I beg to differ.” Edward replied scathingly. “It has everything to do with Black. I know about the imprint, Bella.”

Bella drew in a sharp breath as she felt a spasm of fear at his words. “How?”

“I may not be able to read your mind but I can read theirs. The wolf pack is very vocal when it wants to be. I listened from afar and learned all I needed to know.” Edward revealed, his angel’s face grave. “This hold that Black has over you because of this imprint explains so much about your change in behaviour. Its not your fault, there was no way you could fight it, it was forced upon you. I will find a way to break it, Bella. I will save you.”

A zealous light lit up his eyes as he spoke. He pressed his lips together and concentrated on the road ahead again. Bella sat quietly, dazed, her thoughts incoherent. Her hands were folded in her lap and she was leaning against the back of the seat. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It took her longer than it should have to compose herself enough to talk. She looked out of the windshield, expecting to see her house coming up around the bend, only to find to her horror that while she was out of it, Edward had changed direction and was driving a different route.

“Where are you taking me, Edward?” Bella demanded.

Edward didn’t answer as he increased speed. Bella shot a panicky glance out of the window, it was too dark to see much, the road was only visible in the long patch of bluish brightness from the headlights of the car, but she was sure she had seen a flash of red coming from within the trees lining the side of the road.

**_A/N-thanks for reading. Please review._ **


	21. Consequences

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter_**.

** Chapter Twenty-One-Consequences **

The forest along both sides of the road was like a black wall-as hard as a wall of steel if they veered off the road at this speed, Bella thought. There had to be a way to distract Edward, a way to force him to slow down.

“You’re going at a hundred miles an hour!”

“Relax, Bella.” Edward rolled his eyes, increasing his speed slightly.

“You’re going to kill us.” Bella yelled at him.

“We’re not going to crash. We’ve been in this situation before. Why are you so worried now?” Edward frowned as he glanced in her direction.

“You know I don’t like you driving so fast.” Bella countered. “Slow down.”

“I will at the appropriate time, my love.” Edward assured her.

Bella tried to modulate her voice so it didn’t sound so panicked. “Why are you in such a hurry?” She already knew why; she had seen the occasional glimpses of Jacob’s russet fur through the small gaps between the trees. If she knew he was following, then Edward must, too.

“I always drive like this.” Edward turned to smile crookedly.

“Not with me in the car.” Bella reminded him. “I’m asking you once again to slow down.”

“I’ve never been in an accident, Bella- I’ve never even gotten a ticket.” Edward laughed. “I’ve told you this before, I’ve got a built-in radar detector.”

“So…you’re not going to slow down?” Bella checked, hating that her voice sounded so shaky. “Even though I’ve asked you to?”

“I told you. I will soon. Just relax.” Edward looked in his rear-view mirror and what he saw seemed to displease him as he sped up even more.

Bella knew he must have seen Jacob close by. No matter how fast he drove, Jacob’s greater wolf strength was still managing to keep pace with them. Bella knew she needed to do something now. No words of hers were going to get him to stop driving like a maniac. Taking a deep breath to centre herself, Bella unbuckled her seatbelt and made a desperate lunge for the passenger door handle.

* * *

Whether their imprint bond was responsible, or Jacob just knew Bella so well by now that he instinctively knew what she was going to do, he was right there to cushion her fall as she came flying out of the opened door of the Aston Martin. Landing on Jacob’s wolf was like landing on a soft mattress. At the exact moment she had pushed the passenger door open, he had burst forth from the sheltering cover of trees lining the side of the road. Without breaking stride, he managed to keep pace with the car as Bella closed her eyes and launched herself out of the speeding car. She wasn’t even slightly winded as Jacob used his large body in a cushioning effect to protect her from the fall.

Bella breathed slowly as she lay splayed on top of Jacob and let it sink in what a narrow escape she had just had. She was reluctant to move, but knew she had to. She sank her hands into his russet fur, which felt glossy and thick under her questing fingertips. She raised her head just enough to find Jacob’s concerned eyes regarding her anxiously.

“I’m okay. I really am.” Bella reassured him breathlessly.

Jacob huffed out a relieved breath as he motioned with his head that she needed to climb off of him. Bella quickly obeyed him, knowing that Edward still had to be dealt with. The Aston Martin had veered off the road and slid to a halt quite a distance away. It was only as she climbed back onto her feet that she noticed the shadowy figures of the other wolves surrounding the car, completely blocking her view of Edward who was still trapped inside.

Jacob had also regained his footing. He towered over Bella, his stance confident and body muscular. He looked every inch the alpha wolf. He gave her a fleeting glance before heading to join the rest of the pack. His movements were fluid and without apparent effort; while Bella huffed and puffed in his wake as she tried to follow him.

Soon she was lagging far behind, getting increasingly annoyed that Jacob wasn’t waiting for her to catch up. It was unusually thoughtless of him. She stared through the gloom toward the tall silhouettes of the other wolves. They were still standing statue like guarding Edward’s car. They wouldn’t make a move until Jacob joined them. She noticed one of the wolves break away from the main group and begin loping in her direction. From his sandy coat and gangly form Bella knew it was Seth. She stopped in her tracks, patiently waiting for him to join her. Jacob must have ordered him through the pack mind to stay with her for protection.

Before he reached her, Seth veered off to one side, disappearing amongst the trees lining the side of the road for a moment before reappearing again in his human form. His normal carefree manner was hidden beneath a serious expression when he joined her. “You need to stay back, Bella.” He warned her.

“What’s happening, Seth?” Bella asked tremulously. She hated being kept in the dark. “What are Jacob and the others going to do to Edward?”

“I think you know, Bella.” Seth replied gently. “There is no coming back from this for him. He has run out of chances.”

Bella’s breathing pattern began to change as she struggled to accept the full import of Seth’s meaning. “They’re going to end him?” She gasped.

“He would have known the risk he was taking when he kidnapped you.” Seth said tonelessly. “He was warned…repeatedly.”

Bella’s breathing came in short and shallow gasps as she held on to Seth for support. The cosy world she lived in was nothing but an illusion, she knew that, but to hear Seth speak so bluntly about ending a life…Edward’s life…it hit her harder than she could ever have imagined. She knew it had to be done, but still couldn’t help feeling sickened at the prospect all the same. “I can’t be here for this, Seth.” She whispered bleakly.

“You won’t be.” Seth promised.

Even before he had finished speaking Charlie’s police cruiser came screeching down the road, black tires squealing on the grey as he skid to a halt a few feet away. The blue and red lights atop the car were little more than smudgy illuminations in the slanting rain.

Bella looked up at Seth in alarm in as she watched her father climb out of the car, but to her surprise he wasn’t alone. He ran around to the other side of the cruiser, pulling out a familiar wheelchair. It was Billy’s. “What are they doing here? How did they know?” She demanded as she saw Charlie unfold the wheelchair and help Billy slide into it.

“As soon as Jacob knew that Edward had taken you, he contacted Charlie. He left work straight away and went to pick up Billy. This is tribe business. Jacob is our Alpha but Billy is the chief. It is probable that the other Cullens will be here soon, their seer would have alerted them. It ends tonight, Bella.” Seth responded grimly.

It was Bella’s tears that kept her alive in the furnace of her pain. They couldn’t extinguish what had been, yet only carry her forward until a time came when that searing pain was distant enough to forget more than remember. Her tears mixed with the driving rain that seemed intent on compounding her sorrow. Charlie had reached her now, he opened his arms and Bella walked straight into them. As soon as she felt his arms wrap around her, her tears soaked his shirt as she pressed her face against him in order to stifle the sound of her sobs.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this, kiddo.” Charlie said huskily as he placed his hand on the back of her head.

“I just want it all to be over, Dad.” Bella wept.

“It will be soon.” Charlie assured her. He released his hold on her just enough so he could press the car keys into her hand. “Take the cruiser and go straight home.”

Bella’s face paled as she stared up at him. “You’re staying here?” She asked incredulously.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’m your father. I am going to stay here and protect you until the end. This road is deserted now but I’ll be good cover if anyone should come this way. Now, please go, Bells.” Charlie urged her. “I don’t want you here for this and neither does Jacob.”

Bella’s lower lip wobbled as she felt the sharp edges of the keys bite into the skin of her palm when she wrapped her fingers around them. She knew her presence here was delaying things. “Tell Jake I love him.” She blurted out as she began to retreat toward the car.

“He already knows but I’ll tell him.” Charlie promised as a small smile took over his face. “Now go!”

Bella didn’t say anymore but began to run clumsily toward the cruiser. She reached it without incident, quickly jamming the keys in the ignition and starting the engine. It's yellow-white headlights sprang to life, acting as a spotlight on the dense forest to the side of the road where the tail-lights sat unusually high off the ground and tipping upwards into the night sky. She cast one last sad glance toward the silhouetted wolves in the distance, her eyes picking out the largest amongst them, which could only be Jacob. Then with a heavy sigh, she spun the wheel and turned the cruiser around before driving off in the opposite direction.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Please review._ **


	22. Waiting

** Epiphany **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

**_A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter._ **

** Chapter Twenty-Two-Waiting **

The worst thing about being one of the only humans in a sea of supernatural creatures was the endless waiting. It was agonising. Bella had driven home without incident. As soon as she had seen the sign for Forks, she had been able to breathe the first sigh of relief since Edward had kidnapped her. It wasn’t until she stepped foot inside the house that her relief turned to gut wrenching anxiety. Her stomach muscles began to spasm and she wanted to be sick.

“Pull yourself together, Bella!”

Facing herself in the mirror didn’t help. She could shout at her reflection all she wanted, but it didn’t stop her feeling like a coward. Here she was hiding in the house while others, including her own father and Jacob, cleaned up her mess again. She knew it wasn’t totally her fault. She wasn’t directly responsible for Edward’s actions. It wasn’t like she had any control over what he did in his insane pursuit of her, but still, she couldn’t stop the guilt consuming her. If anything happened to any of the pack, it would be on her head. She would never be able to forgive herself. And she wouldn’t blame Jacob if he couldn’t either.

* * *

Wait. Wait. It should be easy, right? Sitting in the same position for hours on end. Aching muscles. Bored. Frightened. She was supposed to wait here until Charlie and Jacob came back and she was already so wound up she wanted to climb the walls.

“Do something! Anything to distract yourself!”

Bella was back in front of the hall mirror, talking to her reflection again. That was it. She could only conclude all the mental trauma had finally driven her insane.

“You can cook! Jacob and the others will be tired, hungry and thirsty when they get here.”

Bella’s reflection nodded in agreement. So off she went to the kitchen to do just that. But then she remembered the reason Edward had managed to kidnap her in the first place was because she had left the house to get provisions in order to cook Jacob a romantic meal. The cupboards were empty. So was the fridge and the freezer. Even though it was pointless, she checked anyway. Yes, they were bare.

“Damn!”

Frustrated tears welled in Bella’s eyes as her fingers curled into fists. She couldn’t believe that even the freezer was empty. Since the first day she had come to live with Charlie it was stuffed with frozen fish. But her father hadn’t done any fishing since finding out about Edward and the Cullens. Slowly, over time, they had used up the last of the catch.

“Pull yourself together and go find something else to do. You can always order stacks of pizza when they all get back. Go read a book or something.”

Bella’s reflection seemed to like this idea. She walked upstairs, keeping her head down in a deliberate attempt to avoid looking at the hall clock. She was well aware of time passing. She didn’t need a crummy clock to confirm it.

When Bella stepped inside her room, her eyes wandered to the meagre collection of books gathering dust on the lonely shelf by her bedside. She couldn’t remember the last time she had touched any of her favourite books. She loved reading, but when Edward came into her life, she had wasted so much time worrying and fretting that he was going to leave her, that she wasn’t good enough to keep his attention etcetera etcetera…that she hadn’t touched them.

Then there was the zombie phase after he left - there had been a short time she had felt reenergised when Jacob became her world, she remembered spending a few nights in the early days reading him passages from her favourite Austen novels in a vague attempt to make him understand why she loved them so much-but that had all crashed and burned when he turned wolf and then Edward came back.

Yes…. Edward was good at ruining things she loved.

* * *

The first book Bella noticed on the shelf was her battered copy of Wuthering Heights. She had once considered it one of her favourites. She picked it up curiously, the binding was so damaged that it nearly came apart in her hands. One of the pages fell out and she hurried to catch it. As she did so three words on the page caught her eye, and she bent her head to read the paragraph more closely. It was Heathcliff speaking, she knew the passage well.

_“And there you see the distinction between our feelings: had he been in my place and I in his, though I hated him with a hatred that turned my life to gall, I never would have raised a hand against him. You may look incredulous, if you please! I never would have banished him from her society as long as she desired his. The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out and drank his blood!”_

The three words that had caught her eye were ‘drank his blood.’

Bella shuddered.

The words hit too close to him. Sounded too much like something Edward would say regarding Jacob. She remembered Edward mentioning once that he felt an affinity for Heathcliff. She could almost hear his voice inside her head.

“Besides…the more time I spend with you, the more human emotions seem comprehensible to me. I’m discovering that I can sympathise with Heathcliff in ways I didn’t before.”

Bella felt another shudder ripple through her. How had she just let that go so easily? How had she not seen that as a warning sign? She shook her head in disbelief at her own naivety. The crumbling book suddenly felt weighty in her hands. She flipped through the rest of the pages, feeling increasingly nauseated. Though it had once been a treasured copy, Bella decided it was time to let it go. That part of her life was over. Dumping it in the trash felt like a very cathartic thing to do.

* * *

Another hour passed. The waiting was beginning to take its toll. She’d already come up with a million different "we're screwed" scenarios and it was driving her mad. She couldn’t understand why it was taking so long, and the passing of time only confirmed her fears that something had gone terribly wrong.

In the end she went outside for some fresh air. She settled down on the topmost step of the front porch and stared miserably up at the sky. It was close to sunrise. As she watched, the sun slowly bloomed on the horizon, golden

petals stretching ever outwards into the rich blue. In that moment she was cast in crimson, bathed in a rosy glow. She moved her fingers through the air that was growing brighter with each passing moment, until it became a bold new day.

And with the bright new dawn came an end to her agony. Moving into the morning light was a wolf. He was like a russet god, fur glossy and thick. His paws kissed the earth with a lightness and there was a serenity in his gaze as he loped toward her. Bella stayed still, feeling her breathing quicken. Time seemed to slow down as the red wolf finally reached her.

With a joyful cry, Bella rose to her feet and closed the gap between them, she leaped on him, her arms finding their way around his neck as she tried to hug all of him at once, which was a bit difficult seeing as he was the size of an SUV. “You’re home.” She whispered, burrowing her face and hands in his thick fur.

Then she burst into happy tears.

* * *

Jacob smiled as Bella continued to cling to him. She wasn’t about to let go any time soon. She had already told him she wasn’t letting him out of her sight again. “What if I need to use the bathroom?” He had teased her.

“Not even then.” Bella had replied promptly. She meant every word. She had followed him to the bathroom and everywhere since.

Three weeks had passed since the Cullens had been banished from the area with a severe warning from Jacob-backed up by his father, Charlie and the rest of the wolfpack-to never return or suffer the consequences. The coven had complied, the treaty had been broken. Their intention to turn Bella into one of them could not be overlooked. And despite his deep reservations, Jacob had allowed to Edward to leave with them.

Carlisle had pleaded for clemency on his son’s behalf, pointing out to Jacob that they needed to present Edward alive and well if they were to placate the Volturi and persuade them to renege on their deal regarding Bella. The coven leader insisted he was confident he could change Aro’s mind, but expected that a new deal would need to be struck in order to show their compliance. He guessed part of that new deal would involve Edward and Alice as Aro craved their powers.

After consulting with his brothers, and seeking counsel from Charlie and Billy, Jacob had come to the difficult conclusion that he had little choice but to let Edward go with his family. Securing Bella’s future safety was paramount and if that meant letting his hated rival live, then so be it.

Now they were rid of the vampires they could start living.

* * *

Bella sat on the floor of the Taj watching Jacob work on the bikes so he could sell them. It wasn’t the first time, but this was different. Before, he’d been a boy, as awkward as he was tall. Her best friend. He was still her best friend, but now he was a man. A graceful and beautiful man. Her man. Her Jacob. He’d given up a huge chunk of his childhood to the pack and to her, trying to prove himself in ways he really didn’t need to.

She loved him so much. She was going to spend the rest of her life trying to deserve him.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Jacob asked, interrupting her reverie.

“I was thinking about you.” Bella said, smiling.

“That’s funny, because I was thinking about you.” Jacob laughed. “Why do you think that is?”

“It must be because we share one brain cell.” Bella teased.

“That must be it.” Jacob grinned as he came to sit down beside her. He cupped her face in his warm hand and she felt the grease smudge across her skin. “I love you.” He said, his expression turning serious.

Bella lay her hand over his, pressing his fingers harder against her cheek. “And I love you.” She leaned forward to kiss him, and he pulled her closer, his lips warm against hers.

_Fin._

**_A/N-thanks for reading_**.


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